"$182,000 for the canopy. Is there anything on this plane that hasn't been gold-plated by the generals?"
Keep in mind the requirements.
Surviving bird strikes at 500 knots, optically designed to not distort the view out of the cockpit, god knows what radar low observability requirements, coatings for UV and IR?, surviving the heat of mach flight, and extremely cold altitudes. Not crack, not haze. How long is it required to last too?
Lots of requirements to meet I'm sure.
Lots of requirements to meet I'm sure.
But they all fall to the Saws-All!