Well... Everyone here is talking about the price of the Jet only. Why is that? Do they not intend to fire anything from it?
An aircraft contract always includes armaments, spares, training and infrastructure, and these should not be forgotton.
My perception of Serbian Contract.
1. Total Budget : USD 1.3 billion.
2. Number of Aircraft to be procured : 12~16, i.e. a Squadron strength atleast (plus 2 trainers optional)
3. Role : Preferrably Multi-Role, Dedicated-Air-Superiority discouraged due to lack of Land/Marine Attack Role.
4. Armament : AAM (WVR & BVR), AGM (Anti-Runway, Anti-Tank, CruiseM), A2G-bombs (dumb and PGM), ASM (cruise/super-cruise).
5. Cost of Armament Acquisition :
5A. AAM_BVR x 100 ... atleast 6+ for each of 16 aircraft. Cost: ~60m for AIM120-C5+, ~80m for 120D, ~60m for Mica, ~130m for Meteor, ~40m for R77, ~30m for SD10
5B. AAM_WVR x 60 ... <10m from all sources.
5C. AGM+A2G : ~120m for American, ~160m for European, ~70m for Russian, ~50m for Chinese; all around package.
5D. ASM x 16 : ~50m for Harpoon(Standoff), ~70m for European (Exocet etc), ~40m Russian(Brahmos etc), ~25m Chinese(Y83 etc).
6. Recce+Targetting+Jamming Pods x 16 (In Total) : 120m American (AQ211,SNIPER,LANTIRN), 120m European (Domacles,Thales), 80m Russian, 40m Chinese.
7. Training & Infrastructure : Assume equal to be 1/10 of total Aircraft cost (plus minus).
8. Aircraft Spares : 1/4 of total aircraft cost (can be plus minus, but mostly plus).
9. Aircraft Itself : Rest of Budget.
10. Aircraft Cost inclusing points 7&8&9 : 0.10 + 0.25 + 1.00 = 1.35
Now if my Calculation Serves me
Formula: Points 1 to 6 add up, then deducted from 1.3 billion, then devided by 1.35 (to include spares+training+infrastructure), then further devided by number of planes
American : 1.3b - 370m = 930m / 1.35 = 688m / 12 = 57 million USD per plane
European : 1.3b - 420m = 880m / 1.35 = 651m / 12 = 54 million USD per plane
Russian : 1.3b - 240m = 1060m / 1.35 = 785m / 12 = 65 million USD per plane
Chinese : 1.3b - 160m = 1140m / 1.35 = 844m / 18 = 46 million USD per plane (18 planes instead of 12)
Note-1: AIM-120D and Meteor were not used in calculations.
Note-2: I know serbia is landlocked but it will still require Standoff missiles, which are mostly developed from Anti-Ship-Missiles.
Note-3: Anti-Radiation missile are not included in armament list.
Now you people figure it out which plane they can buy in 1.3 billion USD and which they cannot. If you ask me, Americans and Europeans are seriously
OUT because they are too expencive, unless they get 2nd hand planes or get foreign AID. But i must admit that Americans provide the best technology, followed closely by the Europeans.
Besides an important thing to notice is that they required/wanted to buy two squadrons and are pressed by budget, because they don't want to borrow additional money. They downgraded requirement to one squadron i.e. 16, and 12 will be further downgradation.
Source:
Serb Air Force Seeks New Fighter Jets | AVIATION WEEK
Now who can provide 32~36 in this budget, I wonder ...
Regards,
Sapper