Cost Comparison with F/A-18 Hornet

¶ 11. Cost Comparison with F/A-18 Hornet

¶ Procurement

Parameter	F/A-18 C/D (1993)	F-35A (2021/2025)
Aircraft	34	36 > 28-30
Total cost	CHF 3.5 bn	CHF 6.035 bn (+overruns)
Unit price	CHF 103 m	CHF 168-215 m
Engines	2x GE F404	1x P&W F135

Sources: [58][59][2]

¶ Operating Costs per Flight Hour

Note on operating cost figures: Operating costs are based on third-party data. Since neither the calculation methodology, the exact time of data collection, nor the full scope of costs are known, the informative value is limited accordingly.

Note on cost basis: All USD amounts from US government sources (GAO, CBO, DoD) in this article are expressed in Base Year 2012 Dollars (BY2012$). Adjusted for inflation to 2026, actual values are approximately 40–50% higher.

F/A-18 (Switzerland): CHF 29,500 (DDPS 2011) to CHF 50,750 (more recent estimate) [60]
F-35A: USD 34,000-36,000 (GAO 2024, BY2012$) [3]

Comparability is limited as different calculation methods are used.

¶ Maintenance Autonomy: The Decisive Difference

The F/A-18 was maintained autonomously in Switzerland by RUAG -- software maintenance, engine overhaul, and avionics repairs could be performed without foreign involvement [61].

For the F-35, RUAG is permitted to assemble and test 4 of 36 aircraft in Switzerland (RIGI project), but requires technical support from Lockheed Martin [62]. Final acceptance takes place in Cameri, Italy [63]. Detailed maintenance specifications are still being defined [64].

¶ Life-Cycle Costs over 30 Years

	F/A-18 (estimated)	F-35A (Switzerland)
Procurement	CHF 3.5 bn	CHF 6+ bn
Operations (30 yr)	~CHF 7 bn	~CHF 9.5+ bn
Total	~CHF 10.5 bn	~CHF 15.5+ bn

Sources: [7][8][58]

Translated from the German version. See the German version for complete references.