Originally posted by Gun Grape
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The price for lot 11 aircraft is down another 6% to $89 million per F-35A and is the prelude to a multi-year buy that's going to cut into that price even further.
That's within spitting distance of a Block 70 F-16, and you won't get any F-15s for that price. That doesn't even factor in that building legacy aircraft means you also need to buy all the gadgets that are baked into an F-35 separately in podded form to close the capability gap. Buying that new F-15 or F-16 means you're going to be on the hook for gas bags, sniper pod, IR pod, if you want to come close to the F-35's range and sensor capabilities which ups the cost even more. Even so, it still leaves big holes where the DAS, secure directional comms, and radio triangulation, and jamming capabilities exist.
Legacy aircraft also require more airframes to accomplish missions than F-35s. For example: Hitting a few targets defended by an IADS system currently requires either putting strategic B-2 assets at risk or a complex attack involving deception, jamming, CAP, and SEAD/DEAD. That requires tens or hundreds of tactical aircraft along with the requisite refueling and AWACS aircraft to control the whole thing.
Alternatively a 4 ship of F-35s can do it without breaking a sweat, freeing up all those other aircraft for more productive uses.
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