ORAC is correct - this is classic death by a thousand cuts
We (or the Americans or anyone else) start a programme saying we'll buy X units - the cost goes up and the timeline runs on and it becomes "up to X units"
Then we slow down orders, and ever so gradually the commitment fades away and the unit cost goes up
all you then need is for the opposition or the media to focus on the unit cost and the pressure to cut hard becomes impossible to avoid