Or maybe 9 if the price get out of control. We were once going to have 32 next generation Destroyers. Current projection: 3.
You are correct about those cost over runs.A comprehensive study of cost overrun published in the Journal of the American Planning Association in 2002 found that 9 out of ten construction projects had underestimated costs. Overruns of 50 to one hundred percent were common.Three types of explanation for cost overrun exist: technical, psychological, and political-economic.
I think 9 is optimisitic. Maybe the AF will get to keep the two prototypes. Given its history over the last 25 years, how can any contractor believe military claims about how many A/C will be acquired?