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First, it is important to note that all fiscal figures are in 2012 U.S. Dollars, to eliminate inflation and exchange-rate variances. The last reliable cost data for the F/A-18E is from 2013, as the U.S. has only procured the electronic warfare variant (EA-18G) since then. Congressional reporting stated each aircraft’s cost as $62 million, but this has increased since. Boeing has cut the Super Hornet’s production rate from three aircraft to two, and it is currently slated to cease production in 2017. Consequently, its flyaway cost could be as high as $72 million.

Moreover, the Super Hornet’s flyaway price does not include several essential elements, such as sensor pods and external fuel tanks. These are all considered basic equipment for even our current CF-18s and the average cost for a set is $6.9 million. Finally, Canada would incur a $6.1 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) charge on each aircraft. Added together, the Super Hornet’s true cost is between $75 million and $85 million.

The F-35’s flyaway cost is estimated to be approximately $77 million for an aircraft delivered in or after 2020 (the price for the bulk of Canada’s purchases), not $175 million as claimed. There is high confidence in these figures. The Join Strike Fighter (JSF) program has met its acquisition cost targets for the past five years, according to U.S. Congress documentation. This is partly due to large economies of scale. In the next three years, as many F-35s will be produced as all of its competitors combined; or one aircraft every four days in 2018.