For 'cuefaye':
Australian Federal Parliament
House of Representatives Thursday, 16 May 2013
PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE
Department of Defence annual report 2011-12 (Public)
F-16.net
OR
Long Form PDF:
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/...d10cc710a/0000"
SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR: Welcome. Although the subcommittee does not require you to give evidence on oath, I should advise you that this hearing is a legal proceeding of the parliament and therefore has the same standing as proceedings of the respective houses. The giving of false or misleading evidence is a serious matter and may be regarded as contempt of parliament. The evidence given today will be recorded in Hansard and will attract parliamentary privilege. I invite you to make opening statements.
JONES, Vice Admiral Peter, Chief, Capability Development Group, Department of Defence:
"...From a cost perspective, the approved AIR 6000 phase 2A/B stage 1—that is, the 'first 14 aircraft'—remains within budget. The unapproved AIR 6000 2A and 2B stage 2—that is, the 'next 58 aircraft'—remains within its Defence Capability Plan provision.
There is now strong alignment between the aircraft acquisition cost estimates from the independent US Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation Office, the US F-35A Joint Program Office, and the Australian New Air Combat Capability Project Office. However, the aircraft costs are sensitive to US and partner nation purchase profiles. The actual costs for each successive low-rate initial production lot continue to be below the US congressional estimates. Our first two aircraft are expected to be around, or less than, the $130 million estimate that Defence has had since before 2011. Overall, in 2012 dollars and exchange rate at A$1.03 to US dollars, 72 F35As are expected to cost an average of A$83.0 million—unit recurring flyaway cost—if ordered in the 2018-19 to 2023-24 time frame.
The latest official US congressional F-35A cost estimates, sourced from the publicly available Selected Acquisition Report of 2011, are consistent with the Australian estimates and indicate the cost of the F-35A—unit recurring flyaway cost—reducing from a price of about $130 million in US then dollars for aircraft delivered in 2014 reducing over time down to about $82 million in US then dollars for aircraft delivered in the 2020 time frame.
The sustainment costs are high but reducing, and we should see further refinement of these costs now that the F-35A has been fielded at several units in the US. This area is a particular focus of the US JSF Program Office at present, who have been implementing initiatives such as improving the supportability of high-value and high-usage aircraft components; opening up greater competition for sustainment work; and further developing programs to reduce the cost of ownership of F-35A support equipment....
...In conclusion, the New Air Combat Capability Program is progressing within the cost and schedule buffer available and Defence plans to bring forward a submission in 2014 for government consideration of the second pass approval for the next 58 F-35A aircraft...."