The F-35A's lower unit price does not capture the cost of supporting a small variant alongside Britain's F-35Bs. Different refuelling equipment and other support requirements create a separate logistical burden for only twelve aircraft. Two carriers carrying up to 36 fighters each would require about 96 F-35Bs to generate 72 deployable aircraft. Adding a credible land-based strike wing would push the total requirement well beyond the planned 138-aircraft headline figure once maintenance and accidental losses are included. The wider procurement warning is that a decision designed for a cheap short-term headline must either be reversed later or funded as a coherent force structure.
Notable Point · 47:42-50:58
A small F-35A fleet can cost more than its purchase price suggests
Buying twelve cheaper F-35As creates a fleet within a fleet whose refuelling, support, training, and readiness costs must be counted.