Ameriacn drone was shoot down by a Russian jet over Black Sea.

[Markle]

That number is what you get when you ask a journo, lol. They tend to take the entire program costs over the life cycle and divide by the number acquired, but really the airframes are the cheapest part...

What other way is there?

 

[Blaster]

Biden is too weak to retaliate.

 

[para bellum]

What other way is there?

Well that does not accurately reflect the loss. The program cost includes the spares, ground support equipment, training, maintenance, hangar construction at the bases, etc.

None of that is lost when the drone is lost. The cost of just the drone is only about $11 Million new, plus any additional sensors or ISR pods it was carrying. And it had hours on it, and they are being phased out anyway, and this is being blown all out of proportion in the media...

 

[Rambunctious]

That number is what you get when you ask a journo, lol. They tend to take the entire program costs over the life cycle and divide by the number acquired, but really the airframes are the cheapest part...

One "unit" is 4 ships with sensors, ground control station, comms and datalinks. Unit cost $56.5 Mil as per USAF.

MQ-9 Reaper

The MQ-9 Reaper is employed primarily as an intelligence-collection asset and secondarily against dynamic execution targets.

www.af.mil

If you look at the appropriations for just the UCAV and nothing else, it's about $11 Million per copy.

From 2016:

"General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded a $399,979,895 firm-fixed-price contract for MQ-9 Reaper production. Contractor will produce 36 MQ-9 Reaper aircraft in the fiscal 2016 production configuration. Work will be performed at Poway, California, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $399,979,895 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-15-G-4040 0001)."

Contracts for May 16, 2017

CONTRACTS AIR FORCE General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded a $399,979,895 firm-fixed-price contract for MQ-9 Reaper production. Contractor will produce 36

www.defense.gov

Absolutely correct thanks....

 

[Markle]

Well that does not accurately reflect the loss. The program cost includes the spares, ground support equipment, training, maintenance, hangar construction at the bases, etc.

None of that is lost when the drone is lost. The cost of just the drone is only about $11 Million new, plus any additional sensors or ISR pods it was carrying. And it had hours on it, and they are being phased out anyway, and this is being blown all out of proportion in the media...

So you believe that when you buy a new car, you don't pay for the research, development, engineers, wind tunnel tests, the factories...

 

[Silver Cat]

1950?

Yes. The current situation is quite like situation back in 1950. Or, may be, 1951
You know:


-------
Old hard headed Joe will be feelin' mighty blue
When he finds out he's bitten off more than he can chew
For his aggression will be ended and the job will be well done
If General Karakaev drops an atomic bomb
-----

 

[Ringo]

NATO Europe Commander-in-Chief Christopher Kavoli cancelled MQ-9 Reaper UAV flights near Russia's borders. Three MQ-9 flights were scheduled for 15.03.2023: from Italy to Crimea, from Lithuania to Kaliningrad and from Romania to Lvov
Why?

 

[Ringo]

The Russians found a downed drone. It is at a depth of 900 meters and the Russians have the means to lift it.

Why was the drone where it was? To scout russian territory? Well, maybe it was carrying a nuclear charge and was going to attack a russian military base. They need to figure it out.
It was all in the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense. No one warned them about this flight. The transponder was turned off. So planes were raised to identify the intruder. And just because someone said something in the media after the fact - they do not have to take their word for it.

Now, they will conduct a thorough investigation, study the bird, and then they will draw conclusions.
Purely formally, military aid to Ukraine makes the US a party to the conflict in general (even without UAVs, purely by virtue of arms deliveries, etc.).
The russians will probably not go that far now, but I have an opinion that with requests to give back the UAVs the americans can write to the Sexual Reform League. Maybe they will sympathize with them there.

 

[para bellum]

So you believe that when you buy a new car, you don't pay for the research, development, engineers, wind tunnel tests, the factories...

If I crash that car, I don't have to build new factories and wind tunnels to replace it. I'm only out the cost of the car.

If I crash the car after I put 100K miles on it, my insurance company is not going to pay for a new car- I will get the fair market value of my used car.

The replacement cost of the drone is not anywhere near $30 Mil. A brand new one is only $11 Mil...

 

[Markle]

If I crash that car, I don't have to build new factories and wind tunnels to replace it. I'm only out the cost of the car.

If I crash the car after I put 100K miles on it, my insurance company is not going to pay for a new car- I will get the fair market value of my used car.

The replacement cost of the drone is not anywhere near $30 Mil. A brand new one is only $11 Mil...

You are making no sense. When you replace the car...with another car, someone paid for all those extraneous items, just no way around it.

ONLY $11,000,000.

How desperate are you?

 

[para bellum]

 

[Ringo]

USA take down a $1200 balloon with $400.000 missiles...
Russia take down a $30 mill drone by dumping a few gallon fuel on it....

That alone explains both countries' military budgets

 

[para bellum]

You are making no sense. When you replace the car...with another car, someone paid for all those extraneous items, just no way around it.

ONLY $11,000,000.

How desperate are you?

You know, it's not a good analogy anyway. When I bought the car I didn't get any interest in the factory- I just bought the car. The factory is owned by the bondholders. I paid the "COGS+Profit", it does not include capitalization costs.

I posted the FY2016 contract award for the 36 MQ-9 was fixed price of $400 Mil, and the Air Force page that says the price for a 4-ship squadron with the sensors and ground control and comms systems is less than $60 Mil. That sounds about right- Roughly $45 Mil for 4 UAV's plus $15 Mil for the ground station and training and spares.

Full program costs include the basing and sustainment costs, that's not how the individual components are priced. When an operator loses one, they can just buy another one. They don't have to rebuild the base, and buy a new ground control station, or pay for the training again. The follow-on purchases are just the flyaway cost of the UAV.

That's the cost stated in the Air Force page, and in the DOD contract.

 

[frigidweirdo]

Russian fighter jets crash US Reaper drone after dumping fuel on it, hitting propeller over Black Sea

A U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone had to be downed in the Black Sea on Tuesday after being harassed by two Russian fighter jets.

americanmilitarynews.com

Play stupid games - win stupid prizes. Biden decided to play escalation, so there will be the escalation.

A Russian escalation of the war?

Video shows moment Russian fighter jet hits US drone over Black Sea

US footage shows the jet apparently dumping fuel as it makes two close passes with the drone.

www.bbc.com

Here's a video of it happening, clearly the Russians are trying to take down the drone. Potentially to steal it, sell it to the Chinese who'll make a cheap knock off.

 

[Silver Cat]

A Russian escalation of the war?

Just a Cold War. Back in 1950-70s they had splashed a number of US recon planes in neutral waters of Baltic, Black Sea, Japan sea, etc... Dozens of good guys were killed.

 

[frigidweirdo]

Just a Cold War. Back in 1950-70s they had splashed a number of US recon planes in neutral waters of Baltic, Black Sea, Japan sea, etc... Dozens of good guys were killed.

Maybe. There seems to be little hype on this one.
However Putin seems to be doing something deliberately that could, at any time, cause a trigger.

And why is he doing it?

 

[Silver Cat]

Maybe. There seems to be little hype on this one.
However Putin seems to be doing something deliberately that could, at any time, cause a trigger.

And why is he doing it?

Because Ukraine is much more important for Russia than both Cuba and Korea were for both US and SU.

 

[frigidweirdo]

Because Ukraine is much more important for Russia than both Cuba and Korea were for both US and SU.

I didn't say why he's attacking the Ukraine, but why he's attacking US drones.

 

[Deplorable Yankee]

That's called practicing tactics and honing skills for war...the Chinese as always are taking notes

That was unprofessional and mean lol

 

[Deplorable Yankee]