Japan's X-2 stealth fighter jet takes to the skies: $332 million prototype

MAILONLINE ^ | 22 April 2016 | VICTORIA WOOLLASTON

[sukhoi-30mki]

Japan's first stealth fighter jet has successfully taken to the skies as the country joins a select group of world military powers wielding the radar-dodging technology.

The X-2 jet took off from Nagoya airport in central Japan on its maiden test flight as dozens of aviation enthusiasts watching the event erupted in applause as it lifted off.

The single-pilot prototype safely landed at Gifu air base, north of Nagoya airport, after a 25-minute flight with 'no particular problems,' said an official at the defence ministry's acquisition agency.

The X-2 jet took off from Nagoya airport in central Japan on its maiden test flight as dozens of aviation enthusiasts watching the event erupted in applause as it lifted off. The single-pilot prototype safely landed at Gifu air base, north of Nagoya airport, after a 25-minute flight with 'no particular problems'

The red and white aircraft was escorted by two Japanese military fighters collecting flight data.

Despite strict constitutional constraints on the use of military force imposed after World War II, Japan has become one of the world's most advanced defense forces.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3553236/Japan-succeeds-test-flight-stealth-fighter-jet.html#ixzz46YNlbwS6 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[CodeToad]

“The F-35 has a $90 million flyaway cost as of this year.”

That’s projected cost. Actual is over $166 million per copy.

[PreciousLiberty]

"That’s projected cost. Actual is over $166 million per copy."

From http://breakingdefense.com/2016/02/bogdan-predicts-f-35s-for-less-than-80m-engines-included/:

Now, Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan says the most common model of the plane, the F-35A, will hit $80 million to $85 million by 2019 and he expects the price will go lower, especially when it hits multi-year procurement in a few years. That price is in then-year dollars, and it includes an engine.

He estimated the next two lots, LRIPs 9 and 10, will come in at just about and then below $100 million a plane.

Your $166 million figure is from 2009. My $90 million should have been ~$100 million for 2016.

Note that $85 million in 2019 dollars is $80 million in 2016 dollars given 2% inflation.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II:

In July 2014, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems announced they would invest a combined $170 million in the program, which was anticipated to result in a savings of over $10 million per aircraft.

This initiative was said to have set the project on track for an $80M (including engine) price tag per aircraft (F-35A) by 2018, when full production is scheduled to begin.

and...

The U.S. Government estimates that in 2020 an "F-35 will cost some $85m each, or less than half of the cost of the initial units delivered in 2009. Adjusted to today’s dollars, the 2020 price would be $75m each."

and...

In 2014, the airframe cost went below $100 million for the first time, and the Air Force expected unit costs to fall.