While that $550 million figure may not be realistic, the service is trying to aim as close to the target as possible to keep extra requirements and untested technology from finding its way onto the platform.
That $550 million figure, which originated with guidance from then-Secretary of Defense, has long been held up by service officials as a figure that should not be exceeded in order to avoid the kind of excess costs that have plagued other major procurement projects, such as the F-35 joint strike fighter. Analysts,have questioned whether that figure is realistic.
The program, which is slated to procure 80-100 platforms, gets a big boost in the service’s FY 2015 budget request, with research, development, test and evaluation costs jumping from $359 million to $914 million.
defensenews
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