F-35 Lightning II News

June 30, 2004 (by Anonymous) - In June 2004 the price fot the JSF increased to 45.2 billion US dollar, in September 2003 the price allready increased to 42.6 billion US dollar. The price was originally estimated at approximately 35 billion USD.
The weight overrun for the F-35A and C is approx 1.700 lbs (771 kg) and approx 3.000 lbs (1.361 kg) for the F-35B (STOVL). The weight overrun for the F-35B is critical, because this aircraft must be able to land vertically with 5.000 lbs (2.268 kg) of fuel and weapons. The Ministery of Defense has increased the development time with a year to bring down the weight of the F-35.

The Teal Group, a company specialized in the military aviation market, estimates the final price for the F-35 A (CTOL) at 60 billion USD. This prognose is based on development budget overruns in the past.