FLIP's replacement-cost and mission-creep question

Are there plans to replace FLIP?

A replacement is considered unlikely after rejection of the $8 million life extension, with a new design expected to attract expensive additional requirements.

The expectation of no replacement rests on the rejection of an $8 million life extension. FLIP's original cost is uncertain here, with figures of $600,000 and $1 million both cited for the vessel launched in 1962. Either figure supports the judgment that its decades of research were good value. A new platform is expected to attract additional missions and requirements, making a simple replacement much more expensive. The suggestion that this could push the price above $1 billion is a speculative estimate tied to mission creep, rather than a quoted replacement price.