S41 - The Selected Acquisition Report has the F-35A hitting a rock-bottom price of $89 million (average procurement unit cost for the USAF, including engine) at peak production. The full-rate price of the B is $138 million - $49 million for the lift system and all the associated doors and stuff on the airframe. That ($138M) is 80 per cent of what the last batch of F-22s cost.
For that, of course, you get an aircraft with much less fuel, a smaller weapon load and no internal gun, plus a LiftSystemTM that goes back to Mr Royce every now and then for overhaul. And the UK CONOPS, as I understand it, requires almost equal at-sea and land-based time, so no dodging these costs as the Marines do, by only flying STOVL ten per cent of the time.
DISCLAIMER - Actual prices may vary based on program performance, and may cause headaches and extreme allergic reactions. In the case of a transition lasting more than four hours, seek immediate medical help.
Last edited by LowObservable; 26th Nov 2013 at 16:22.