You can tell when Defence starts spinning yarns about F-35 price. This happens basically anytime they communicate.
Take for example this fairytale meant for the totally clueless. Funny as this got reported in the news yet a newsie did not research or follow-up. This is the state of the news media on this topic. What do those in Defence say before addressing the media? “Lets go feed the chooks“.
Here is some first rate spin…
Australia had examined the US figures, analysed how the prices of other aircraft projects had inflated and assessed the key factors which drove up costs.
“We put all those together and we always had quite a higher estimate than the US estimate for our provisions,” he said.
“Then we explicitly carry contingency on top of that for unknown risks.”
Sure; totally believable. So is this.
“It’s about $37 million for the CTOL aircraft, which is the air force variant.”
- Colonel Dwyer Dennis, U.S. JSF Program Office brief to Australian journalists, 2002-“. . . US$40 million dollars . . “
-Senate Estimates/Media Air Commodore John Harvey, AM Angus Houston, Mr Mick Roche, USDM, 2003-” . . US$45 million in 2002 dollars . .”
-JSCFADT/Senate Estimates, Air Commodore John Harvey, Mr Mick Roche, USDM, 2003/2004-“. . average unit recurring flyaway cost of the JSF will be around US$48 million, in 2002 dollars . . “
-Senate Estimates/Press Club Briefing, Air Commodore John Harvey, 2006“. . the JSF Price (for Australia) – US$55 million average for our aircraft . . in 2006 dollars . .”
-Senate Estimates/Media AVM John Harvey ACM Angus Houston, Nov. 2006-“…DMO is budgeting around A$131 million in 2005 dollars as the unit procurement cost for the JSF. .”
-AVM John Harvey Briefing, Office of the Minister for Defence, May 2007-“There are 108 different cost figures for the JSF that I am working with and each of them is correct”
-Dr Steve Gumley, CEO of the DMO, Sep./Oct. 2007-“…I would be surprised if the JSF cost us anymore than A$75 million … in 2008 dollars at an exchange rate of 0.92”
-JSCFADT Dr Steve Gumley, CEO DMO, July 2008-“. . Dr Gumley’s evidence on the cost of the JSF was for the average unit recurring flyaway cost for the Australian buy of 100 aircraft . .”
-JSCFADT/Media AVM John Harvey, Aug. 2008-Confirmed previous advice i.e. A$75 million in 2008 dollars at an exchange rate of 0.92,
-JSCFADT Dr Steve Gumley, CEO of the DMO, Sep. 2009-” …about $77 million per copy.”
-Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Feb. 2008.
