This hints at some associated costs not normally included.:
"Australian Industry will deliver products and services for around 55 per cent of the $6.6 billion AWD Programme over the next 15 years which will be followed by high value through life support contracts into the middle of the century. "
Here you will find a comparison of the two competitors in PDF format.ie you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader which is a free download.:
Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Excerpt:
"We can look at a couple of overseas programs to get a feel for the going cost of an AWD. South Korea has just launched the first of three 7,600 ton Aegis equipped destroyers.
Costs are cited as being around $1.25 billion per unit. Looking at the larger US-built Arleigh Burke class (9200 tons fullload
for late build ships), the costs are a little under $1.5 billion per unit. The per-ton comparison of the US and Korean ships shows that their production costs are remarkably similar, at around $160,000 per ton. (All costs are in 2007 Australian dollars.)
Let us be charitable. If we assume that the Australian AWDs can be brought in at the upper DCP figure of $6 billion, then that means a unit cost of $2 billion, or superficially a premium of 33% for Australian construction. The per-ton costs are even further elevated, at over $250,000 per ton. A little care is required here. Steel and air are cheap, while spaces packed with sophisticated equipment are expensive, so it is not strictly an apples versus
apples comparison.
However, the cost still appears to be significantly higher than overseas examples.
If, as is widely-rumoured, the price comes in somewhat higher, the
premiums estimated above will rise accordingly. Ultimately it is a matter for judgement as to what premium is acceptable.
However, it is always best to at least understand what we are actually paying for the industry and self sufficiency benefits so that the opportunity costs can be appreciated."