The official Austrian Bundeswehr (armed forces) website described the Tranche 1 aircraft as having “limited equipment and significant cost uncertainty.”
They seem to have been well ahead of the early block F-35's with this procurement strategy.
Perhaps this is the new paradigm for fast jet procurement, and people don't appreciate a trend setter when they see one.
Hat, coat, exit, and don't forget to tip your waitress.
On a more serious note: when the total buy number for a fast jet is small, and the budget is modest, any MoD is left with some very hard choices and funding profiles that may not always work out in the long term. It appears that the Austrian MoD and their Air Force have found themselves between a rock and a hard place.