F-35A price soars for Japan...

via Defense Aerospace.

The estimated per-plane cost to Japan of acquiring a single US F-35A stealth fighter soared by about 53 percent to US$137.6 million (14.7 billion yen) in FY 2017 from an estimated US$90 million (9.6 billion yen) in FY 2012, according to a report by the Asahi Shimbun. 

Japan Defense Ministry officials attributed the catapulting price on the currency impact of a weaker yen. But some defense analysts blamed the surging costs on Japan’s procurement of the aircraft from the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. 

Asahi noted FMS sales are considered part of the defense aid that the US provides to its allies. Because of this, buyers like Japan tend to pay the asking price, versus what might have been paid by purchasing the plane directly from Lockheed Martin, its manufacturer. 

“As the F-35A is aircraft loaded with sensitive features, it is difficult to verify whether the cost is reasonable,” a senior Defense Ministry official was quoted as saying. “It is true that we tend to accept the US asking price.” (end of excerpt) 

No rant.  I just wish someone somewhere could give me a no bullshit price for this jet.

You can do all the Google searches in the world and you're just gonna be caught in a hall of mirrors.

Some say its dropping, others say its rising...the public is just left confused.

Well done Program Office.

With your accounting practices no one has any real idea how much this plane costs.