F-35 Projected to cost 67 million per plane by 2020.

Check this out from the Ottawa Business Journal.

After a year of bad press following the federal government’s botched estimate of how much it would cost to procure 65 of the stealth planes, officials from Lockheed Martin Corp. and Pratt & Whitney hosted a telephone press conference to refute perceptions of cost overruns and noting the involvement of several Canadian firms – including Ottawa-based GasTops – on the project.
Steve O’Bryan, vice-president of F-35 programs at Lockheed Martin, said the jets have undergone a 50 per cent price reduction compared to five years ago, and estimated that each plane will cost $67 million by 2020.

Great news.

But it just adds fuel to my argument that the USMC should delay purchase till 2020 and divert funds to the Amphibious Combat Vehicle and Marine Personnel Carrier Programs.

The F-35 will be a winner but we can afford a capability gap until the costs go down and besides...in my opinion getting the Marine Corps armor in shape is a much more pressing matter.

We're at a point where the F-35 isn't in danger of being canceled.  It will be built.  Can we say the same about the ACV and MPC?  If we can't then they should become our number one priorities.