From the article:
The Air Force said it will buy 100 of the new bombers at a newly calculated average cost of $564 million each. The Northrop Grumman contract awarded Tuesday is for an initial set of 21 planes, plus $23.5 billion in engineering and development costs. The estimated total cost to develop and purchase the full fleet would be $80 billion.
That averages out to about $800 million each when the engineering and development costs are distributed.
Wowzaa!
“That averages out to about $800 million each when the engineering and development costs are distributed.”
Triple that estimate. Go back and look at all of our cutting edge procurement programs of the past 30 years. All way over budget.
Compiled from Wikipedia:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Number built 12,731[2][3]
Unit cost US$238,329(1945)[
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Number built 19,256
Unit cost $297,627 ($4.77 million in today’s dollars)[
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Number built 3,970
Unit cost US$639,188
Convair B-36 Peacemaker
Number built 384
Unit cost US$4.1 million (B-36D)
Boeing B-47 Stratojet
Number built 2,032
Unit cost US$1.9 million (B-47E)[1] equivalent to $20.1 million in current value
Boeing B-50 Superfortress
Number built 370
Unit cost US $1,144,296 ($11.2 million in today’s dollars)
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Number built 744[1]
Unit cost
B-52B: US$14.43 million[2]
B-52H: US$9.28 million (1962)
B-52H: US$53.4 million (1998)
Convair B-58 Hustler
Number built 116
Unit cost US$12.44 million
North American XB-70 Valkyrie
Number built 2
Program cost US$1.5 billion[1]
Unit cost
US$750 million (average cost)
Rockwell B-1 Lancer
Number built
B-1A: 4
B-1B: 100
Unit cost US$283.1 million in 1998 (B-1B)
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
Number built 21
Program cost US$44.75 billion (through 2004)
Unit cost $737 million (1997 approx. flyaway cost)
Next-Generation Bomber (NGB; formerly called the 2018 Bomber)
Outcome Terminated
Successor programs Long Range Strike Bomber
Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B)
The Air Force plans to purchase 80–100 LRS-B aircraft at a cost of $550 million each in 2010 prices[1] or $606 million each in 2016 fiscal costs. On 27 October 2015, the Pentagon announced that Northrop Grumman won the development contract.
On 27 October 2015, the Defense Department awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman. The initial value of the contract is $21.4 billion, but the deal could eventually be worth $80 billion.
Number Planned 100 at $80 billion total
2037 Bomber
Introduction 2037 (projected)
Status Planned
Calculated average cost of $564 million each. The estimated total cost to develop and purchase the full fleet would be $80 billion.
That’s the Government estimate so in reality: Multiply the cost by 2.5 ($200B) and whatever development schedule they come up with by 3 and you’ll be pretty close to actual cost and operational deployment.
If it follows historical trends:
USAF will ask for 100.
Congress will fund 40.
After cost overruns, they’ll build 20.