I have seen it listed from $ 600,000 to $ 1.2 million. Not sure if the higher price would include an atomic warhead or if that is just the high expolosive version.
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a rear mid-engined super car. It is the most expensive modern car in the world at $2,600,000. Right off the assembly line of sorts.
The pricing of the Bugatti probably is based on similar reasoning to that which I heard a famous plastic surgeon use many years ago: "Sure, I could do the surgery for a fraction of the price and still make money, but then people will think I'm no good and will go to my high-priced colleagues."
Hellfires are $82k per copy. Don't know about Tomahawk. That is a larger surface launched missile, right? Love watching the Hellfire strikes on youtube. Now you see 'em, now you don't.
I watched a show about how they built those. It was fascinating. For one thing, they have carbon fiber brake drums. They showed some testing of steel drums, and they became red hot. Same for clutch and tranny components. A really awesome vehicle. I would not buy one even if I DID hit the LOTTO for $300 million, and got to keep it all. I find something immoral about paying $2.6 million for a car. Or even $1.6 they get for new Ferraris. I would buy a new Dodge 2500 with a Cummins, tho, about $40k. And maybe a $75k 56 Chebbie.
Much about this on the news a few days ago, although I can't find sources at the moment. What I remember: The '99 price of a cruise missile is ~600K, Raytheon is now the main contractor and has made modifications upping the cost. Some of the mods include being able to change course of the missile in flight. Late model tomahawks are more like 1.4 M. Prices also vary by launch platform and other variants, something here:
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Hard to say just what the cost is of the ones being expended.
It's a lot of money compared to other smart weapons, but the outstanding value is that they can be deployed against any target without risking air frames and air crews. They can also be sent off in large numbers quickly. That is why you see them used so extensively early in air campaigns, the trend is toward using these very early on to take down air defences and heavily defended targets.
There probably will be very few more expended and there appears to be a large inventory of them so there is no pressing need to replenish as there are more in the pipeline (~200/year). There likely won't be additional requested. Note that the US is deploying AC130 gunships and you don't do that unless you own the airspace.
Something here on aircraft involved:
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Considering how fast the conflict blew up in Libya it's a nice bit of work getting all the forces and countries involved put together. Obviously there was a lot of planning involved early on, and it appears that they were on the move even as the politics were working their course.
On a side note, the sudden ebb and flow of military fortunes in Libya is nothing new. These are the same towns that flowed back and forth between axis and allies in WWII. Then as now, controlling the air over land that you can't hide in, is key.
Based on performance & capacity ..... those Tomahawks look like a bargain :)
But I wouldn't waste one even on heavy armor.
later (current?) procurement cycle supposed to reduce cost by ~50% thus getting it down to ~ 1/2 million each
Our first 12 production units for the AH-64 Apache 30mm Ammunition Magazine cost ~$150k each (1982) by the third production buy (120 units) we'd gotten the price down to $50k each.
Cost reduction is driven by learning curve, value engineering design changes and lot size increases.
Yes, millions but you can bet the corporation that makes them hides all it's profit in a dummy store front in Switzerland to avoid US Taxes. Just like hundreds even thousands of corporations now. Yes, GE, GM, Phizer and all the drug companies, Google, IBM, all the big ones.
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