The ships sold to Brazil were cheap because they’d already been built for & rejected (because of internal politics) by Trinidad & Tobago. The price was less than originally, & I think below cost. The new Rivers have also had some redesign & fitting of additional equipment which would legitimately make them more expensive. Still expensive IMO, but not as insanely expensive compared to the Amazonas class as it first appears.

The T26 contracts awarded aren’t all for development.

So we give BAE a £472 million ‘demonstration phase’ contract, & BAE uses some of that money to commission equipment for ships from other firms.

For me it is countability I think the taxpayer has the right to know how the money brakes down i.e. with the Rivers something like each ship costs 66 million a 5 year support package at 100 million and 48 million ship yard improvements. Its like the type 26 what is the new cost per ship