April 23, 2007:
Combat aircraft are getting more
expensive, mainly because of all the new technology you can install. Thus the
upgraded UH-60 Blackhawk costs $19.3 million each. This is more than the AH-64D
Apache gunship ($14.1 million). Transport aircraft, in general, are getting a
lot more expensive. The C-17 now costs $329 million each, and the latest
version of the C-130 (C-130J) costs $98.5 million each. The new V-22 tilt-rotor transports cost
$119.3 million each. A latest naval version of the Blackhawk, the MH-60R, costs
$46.1 million each.
But combat aircraft are still the most expensive.
The F-22 costs $355 million each. The low budget F-18E cots $94 million each,
while the electronic warfare version (the F-18G) goes for $105 million. The
F-35 costs $122 million. Even unmanned aircraft are pricy, with the Global Hawk
costing $182 million each. Older fighters, like the F-16, cost $60 million,
and an F-15E goes for about $100 million.
War is hell, especially once you get the bill.