JPO complains about including things in F-35 price that helps it fly

More in regard to this post.

An email from Winslow Wheeler.

"The F-35 unit cost is actually higher than reported yesterday, based on Giovanni de Briganti's excellent article "The Myth of Declining F-35 Prices." A reader pointed out to de Briganti that there was more contracting to be included in his analysis, raising the F-35 unit cost to $230.3 million for lot 6, and $192.6 for lot 5.

It also seems the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) complained to de Briganti that he unfairly included contracts not related to the price of the airframe in his calculations. Specifically, the JPO asserted "These items [the contracts assessed] may include costs such as spare parts, flight simulators, tooling, support equipment, and manpower to maintain the aircraft." In other words, the JPO considers it unfair to include items capable of enabling the F-35 to fly, let alone perform as a part of an operative F-35 force.

Keep in mind that de Briganti's so-called too-low cost estimate did not include the cost of the engine. (That cost is contracted separately and is not even reflected in the above-recalculated $230.3 million for each F-35 in lot 6.)

De Briganti revised his article taking into account the JPO's reclama and the new data. Find the revised article at http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/feature/5/159230/***the-myth-of-declining-f_35-prices.html."