CM, I'm sure DMO will take it on board that you think their 2008 estimate is spin.
no doubt you think the 2012 report from the Australian National Audit Office is also in on the 'fix'
http://www.anao.gov.au/~/media/Files...06%20OCRed.pdf
TD, it is alphabet soup, but the US costings are the same for every program, not just the F-35. It is very easy to get tangled in it. I find the SAR to be ok, the forces budget papers are a mine field.