Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking. Login or Take a Tour!
kleinbl00 · 3402 days ago · link · · parent · post: The Avengers of Tonopah, Part II: Follow the Money
Often. If it has an official designator, money was spent by the government. If it doesn't, it wasn't. The Boeing Bird of Prey cost Boeing $67m of which the Air Force spent nothing. Have Blue was entirely on Lockheed's dime while Tacit Blue came out of Northrop's wallet. That money may not cover all the costs, however. With the ATF competition (which selected the F-22), the USAF paid Northrop/McD and Lockheed a development budget, but not an airframe budget. When it came time to put up an RFP for the airframes, payment was conditional on acceptance. In other words, the USAF paid for the paper YF-23 but Boeing/Northrop/McD paid for the flyers.