Total Flyaway cost for the 26 FY2013 F-18s was $65.25 mil (sorry, don’t know how I got 70. I must have hit the wrong number in the calculator).
Sorry, but any way you slice it, 3 F-18s in FY2018 are less capable and less survivable than 2 F-35s.
And that price is just Flyaway. If you take the true Gross Weapon System Cost and factor in the inceased staffing needs (2 pilots) then you would not even get 3, maybe 2.25.
I think you are being misleading in what you say. It seems you are saying that including the cost of weapons you might get 2.25 x F/A-18’s for the cost of 1 x F-35. The F-35 would not include weapons in that comparison, would it?
You say that 3 F-18s in FY2018 are less capable and less survivable than 2 F-35s. If the cost of F-35 were double that of F/A-18I think you would be telling me that 4 F-18s in FY2018 are less capable and less survivable than 2 F-35s. If treble, 6 F-18s in FY2018 are less capable and less survivable than 2 F-35s.
You do not appear to be able to exercise due objectivity when comparing F-35 to anything else: the F-35’s weaknesses are denied by you or you argue that they are unimportant in this or that scenario while the strengths of other fighters are denied by you or unimportant in this or that scenario. It seems to me that you think all use of F-35 will be under conditions designed to harness its strengths and to avoid its weaknesses.
Would you like to do me a favour and list (a) what you consider to be F-35’s strengths and (b) its weaknesses so that I can see your assessment of the aircraft?
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