Pentagon says cost of new F-35 fighter jet will be double original estimates
By Anne Flaherty, APThursday, March 11, 2010
Pentagon: F-35 fighter jet cost doubles
WASHINGTON — The cost to build the Pentagon’s next-generation fighter jet has doubled since 2001, when the program began.
The bad news was delivered Thursday to Capitol Hill . The Defense Department’s chief weapons buyer told a Senate panel the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has “fallen short” for years and created a situation that was “unacceptable to the taxpayers and to the warfighter.”
Lawmakers said the situation was unacceptable. Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said, “The taxpayers are a little tired of this, and I can’t say I blame them.”
The jets were originally expected to cost about $50 million per jet but will probably cost closer to as much as $113 million. Some of the increase can be attributed to inflation.
