http://www.bga-aeroweb.com/Defense/F-18-Super-Hornet.html
F-18E/F: $65.3 million (flyaway cost) or $80.7 million incl. support costs.
You'll see a number of places quoting slightly different per unit costs for an F-18E/F, but they cluster around that figure. The cost of an F-35 in the latest LRIP lot (8) was as follows:
That does not include an F-135 engine for each jet, which is anywhere from $10 to $15 million depending on the variant.
So while the F-35 is more expensive than the F-18, I do not believe the figures bear your "3x or more" assertion.
Also it's difficult to compare the operating costs of a fully mature aircraft like the F-18 with the F-35, which is still being tested and developed. I don't think that is an apples/apples comparison.
Disclaimer: all opinions my own, not those of my employer, etc.
Sorry, I was going off F/A-18D unit costs from Wikipedia rather than the Super Hornet. Still, ~2x the unit cost plus a 79% increase in support costs is nothing to sneeze at.
Well keep in mind that we are still in a low production rate situation. Production will ramp up greatly in the next few years, driving costs down further.
The costs I gave are the costs as contracted for LRIP lot 8, which consists of 43 aircraft. There are two more LRIP batches after LRIP 8, and then full rate production begins.
http://www.janes.com/article/46129/pentagon-finalises-f-35-l... "The US buy is for 19 F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft at USD94.8 million apiece; 6 F-35B short take-off and landing aircraft for USD102 million each."
That does not include an F-135 engine for each jet, which is anywhere from $10 to $15 million depending on the variant.
So while the F-35 is more expensive than the F-18, I do not believe the figures bear your "3x or more" assertion.
Also it's difficult to compare the operating costs of a fully mature aircraft like the F-18 with the F-35, which is still being tested and developed. I don't think that is an apples/apples comparison.
Disclaimer: all opinions my own, not those of my employer, etc.