I prefer "accounting" figures to "salesman", "politician", "media relations" or "fantroll" figures.
Fact is that the F-35 unit costs (flyaway, APUC, whatever... the numbers are different but the trends are the same) have budged little since Lot 2.
And as you correctly point out, what was originally advertised and sold with an F-16 price tag has been beaten on cost (for 2017+ deliveries, after ten years of production) by the F-15SE and Typhoon.
And that's the A model, the B and C being 40-50 per cent higher. Now wonder why the USN ("erroneously", my
) has been soliciting quotes for more Super Hornets and why the UKG is talking about only 48 jets in the next ten years.