OT What does a Tomohawk missile really cost?
They keep saying a million dollars, or a little less, but does that include amortizing billions of dollars of development costs?
What is the marginal cost of another missile?
It's hard to believe anything costs a million dollars after there is an assembly line of sorts.
Hi, Nillion dolloar for sure. An ordinary bomb is equivalent to GOOD TV set.
More than the stuff it blows up usually.
Jim
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.
TDD
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."
Perce
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.
Steve
Heart surgery pending?
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.
Steve
Heart surgery pending?
I checked the completed auctions on ebay and none had sold so it is really hard to tell the real price.
CNN keeps saying 1.4 mil/per.
Which is actually pretty cheap compared to sending in manned aircraft.
Super Nerd, Bill Gates once said: "After the first million, you can't eat any better." :-)
TDD
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:
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:
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.
Jeff
I'm sure. Tobruk is certainly famous.
Thanks .
Hellfire ~100lbs Tomahawk ~3000 lbs
Helfire range ~8km Tomahawk range ~2500km
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.
cheers Bob
You misunderstood him. Price reduction is enabled by cost reduction.
Why is it that the most obese people seem to be in the lower income brackets?
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.
By the way, that amounts to 1.3 TRILLION! a year the government don't get. Now you wonder why the economy is bad and there are no jobs?
"Eat better" not "eat more". ^_^
TDD
They spent all the money for food.
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