After some initial reluctance to comment, prime contractor Lockheed
Martin has begun to forcefully rebut the absurd cost estimates being
issued by CAPE -- estimates that made the plane sound unaffordable.
Lockheed chairman Robert Stevens stated last week that the company
expects the actual purchase price of each Air Force variant will be
roughly the same as a current Lockheed F-16 or Boeing F/A-18. That
would be about $60 million in today's dollars -- less than half the
price of an F-22 Raptor -- and it includes all the necessary mission
equipment.
