New ICBM arming and fuzing assembly acquisition cost grows to $3.1B

摘要

The Air Force estimates its acquisition of a new arming and fuzing assembly for the military's intercontinental ballistic missiles will cost $3.1 billion, about $600 million more than expected, Inside Defense has learned. The original 2014 baseline cost estimate was $2.5 billion, but a funding cut and testing issue with a small electrical component drove the service to reexamine its price tag and schedule starting last year. The program officially approved a new service cost position July 16, Air Force spokeswoman Leah Bryant told Inside Defense in a Nov. 18 email. Air Force spokesman Capt. Joshua Benedetti told Inside Defense today the new $3.1 billion SCP includes $1.5 billion for research and development, $1 billion for procurement and $600 million for operations and sustainment. The new total reflects a 24% increase from the 2014 projection, when the Air Force anticipated spending $1.2 billion on R&D, $800 million on procurement, and $500 million on O&S.