http://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100128-072.pdfIn 2011. The AF will receive 22 aircraft for $4.07B giving a unit cost of $182 million.
Once production ramps up that price will fall. There has never been a contract where price rose 50% after the first year production run.
Another couple of datapoints is the price that Lockheed is selling exports to other countries (roughly $140 mil ea).
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/stealth-fighters-cheap-at-140m/story-e6frf7l6-1225909569574http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20100904.aspxLastly Lockheed interest in moving to a fixed cost contract indicates there belief they can produce the aircraft far cheaper
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0111242120100601?type=marketsNewsIn a fixed cost Lockheed pricetag to the US would be fixed and only adjusted by inflation. Lockheed could potentially make a larger profit if the difference between its build cost and the fixed fly away cost is greater than the markup in the current cost-plus contract.
I am glad you admit your $243 million pricetag is simply a price you made up. That would be consistant with all the other pricetags you post.The funny thing is I am not sure why you do it. $130 million vs $243 million, to most people they are both insanely large and difficult to comprehend numbers. One just happens to be accurate. I doubt the story comes off any more "excessive" by using the false bloated number. In other words I doubt there would be anyone who thinks $130 mil is reasonable but you would convince them it is unreasonable with the $243 mil number.
What is more insane to me isn't the per unit pricetag but the total pricetag. $323 billion! Roughly $1000 per person from every man, woman, and child in the country.