Canada's Budget Officer Blows The Lid On The True Cost Of The F-35 Fighter

Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay, right, and Industry Minister Tony Clement walk past an F-35 jet in Ottawa last July. Parliament's budget watchdog says the government's contract to buy 65 fighter plans will cost billions more than previously estimated. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Canada Budget Officer Says F-35 Fighter Jets To Cost US$29.3B -- Wall Street Journal

OTTAWA (Dow Jones)--The Canadian government would pay about US$29.3 billion for the purchase of 65 Joint Strike Fighter F-35 fighter jets over a 30-year period, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page said Thursday.

That estimate is much higher than government figures, and the Parliamentary opposition can be expected to play it up in a possible election campaign this spring.

Last year, the Canadian government said it would invest about C$9 billion (US$9.3 billion) to purchase the jets from Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT). Media reports have put the total contract, including maintenance, at C$16-18 billion.

Page's report said "the total ownership cost, expressed in FY 2009 dollars, for the purchase of 65 aircraft is estimated at approximately US$29.3 billion or US$450 million per plane."

Read more ....

More News On Canada's Participation In The F-35 Program

Canada fighter planes to cost billions more-report -- Reuters
Costs for F-35 fighter jets to soar: Canadian watchdog -- AFP
Canada's F-35 Fighter Jets Could Cost $29.3 Billion, Budget Officer Says -- Bloomberg
F-35 jets: Are you concerned about the costs of the government's plan? -- CBC
F-35 price tag expected to top $28 billion: report -- Vancouver Sun/Postmedia News
F-35 purchase could cost double: reports -- Toronto Sun
F-35 jets cost to soar to $29B: watchdog -- CBC
Fighter-jet price tag will approach $30-billion, budget watchdog warns -- Globe And Mail
Canada Expects Much Higher JSF Unit Costs -- Ares/Aviation Week
Stealth-fighter costs under budget officer's microscope -- CTV

My Comment: Someone in government is checking the numbers .... and does not like what he sees.

On a side note .... if the Canadian Budget Officer's numbers are correct .... he is telling us that the real cost of one F-35 plane will be more than one F-22, a stealth fighter that is (in my opinion) superior than the F-35.

So the following question begs to be answered .... does any of this make sense?