[driftdiver]

$250,000 or $161 Million??? hmmmmmm The original design is 30 years old but the current version is not. They are a very good tool and meet the need. The F22 is sexy but how many of those are really needed.

[Wilum]

As I haven’t kept up with my former alumni like I should have, can the E model perform the work of the A and D satisfactorily? Wouldn't that be the temporary solution until the 35 is ready to punch out? Or is the 35 to replace the 16?

[HereInTheHeartland]

“$250,000 or $161 Million??? hmmmmmm”

It’s how the govt spends our money.

[mad_as_he$$]

$250,000 is chump change. Why haven’t they started a repair program already? Answer AF politics.

[ArrogantBustard]

$250,000 or $161 Million???

The question is not even remotely that simple ... that's the sort of thinking I expect from the MSM.

1) $250K does not guarantee a solution long term

2) $161 Mil is the total program cost for each plane, based on the size of the production run. Make more, and the cost per plane drops. Some of that $161 Mil has already been spent; it's the R&D.

We need more Raptors.

[PapaBear3625]

$250,000 or $161 Million

Most of that $161M is amortization for development costs. The per-unit manufacturing costs are lower. If you increase the production run, then R&D and tooling get amortized among more fighters, lowering the per-unit cost, and allowing the per-unit price to go down