Why?

I like the idea of a VTOL Mirage. I know it was dangerous and that its range was very limited but same goes with the Harrier for instance. I’m sure the Mirage could have been even more successful than the Harrier. I wonder if it could have been carrier capable though.

Nic

I’d like to know what and how many weapons are included in that 4bn package.

I suppose you intended to quote and reply to someone else as this was my first post here in this thread..

You are right and you’ll notice that I have already edited my post. Sorry for that 🙂

Nic

That isn’t the acquisition cost. An effective comparison would require an actual breakdown of the €40 billion spent on the Rafale. The report does not seem to mention what period that amount is budgeted for (one would have to assume its the expenditure for orders placed so far). Or what heads it breaks down into.

Between 2005 and 2010 the quoted figure rose by almost a third. How is possible to budget for a future deliveries starting in 2018 (presumably), that AFAIK the state isn’t financially committed to buy?

Whatever your comparison was unfair in the first place if you don’t know what the costs you were talking about include 😎

Nic

You’re right. My bad. Same price if Nicholas’s take on it is true.

Still wondering though, how the cost of the next 286-180=106 aircraft was estimated. Especially given that defence inflation usually runs independent (and usually in excess) of the CPI, which in itself is not predictable.

BTW your calculation on the cost of the EF to the UK MOD is wrong, as per wiki again:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon#Costs

After 2003 the Ministry of Defence have refused to release updated cost estimates on the grounds of ‘commercial sensitivity’,[44] however in 2011 the National Audit Office estimated the UK’s “total programme cost [would] eventually hit £37 billion”.[45]

£37bn makes about $60bn
Assuming a Eurofighter order of 160 jets that’s 377 million a pop in program cost. And I doubt a carrier variant is included 😉

Nic

I wonder where they took that 53 bn figure, especially for 180 planes.

As per wiki, the program cost for 294 planes was estimated at 33+bn in 2005, revised at a bit more than 40bn for 286 planes in 2010. That’s global cost including development, purchase and support. Those figures are coherent with everything I’ve read so far, here and elsewhere.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.senat.fr%2Frap%2Fa08-102-5%2Fa08-102-516.html%23toc236

Nic

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84/boxdever2000.jpg/