How Much Does An F-11 Fighter Jet Cost?

Last Updated on February 9, 2025
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

The F-11 fighter jet is one of the most advanced and capable combat aircraft in operation today. But this incredible performance comes at a steep price, with some estimates putting the cost of an F-11 jet very high. In this article, we’ll break down the major factors that contribute to the high cost of procuring and operating an F-11 fighter.

Development costs, maintenance, training, weapons systems and future upgrades can add millions more per jet over its lifetime. Compared to previous generation fighters, the F-11 leverages many bleeding-edge technologies that improve capability but also drive-up costs significantly.

How Much Does An F-11 Fighter Jet Cost?

The F-11 fighter jet, with a total life cycle cost estimated between $120-150 million per jet, represents one of the most advanced aerial combat platforms in the world.

The unit recurring flyaway cost represents the production expenses for each individual aircraft without including extras like weapons, spares, training or support.

By 2019, sources estimated the F-11A unit flyaway cost at around $85 million per jet, when factoring in incremental improvements and inflation over the production history.

So, the “sticker price” for a new F-11A rolled out of the factory is approximately $85 million. But the flyaway cost doesn’t encompass the whole picture.

According to the available information from sources like Wikipedia, there are no specific prices listed for purchasing an operational F-11 Tiger today. However, some older fighter jets can be found for sale through private collectors or museums.

A discussion on the topic of buying used fighter jets on platforms like Reddit’s r/FighterJets (Reddit) mentions that acquiring used military aircraft often involves significant restoration costs and regulatory hurdles. For instance, restoring a model from a museum might cost around $40,000 or more depending on its condition and needed repairs (HotCars). However, these figures do not specifically relate to the F-11 Tiger.

In general, purchasing operational military aircraft is highly regulated and typically requires special permits. The cost can vary widely based on factors such as the condition of the plane and whether it has been demilitarized for civilian use.

For those interested in owning historical military aircraft like the Grumman F-11 Tiger for display purposes or restoration projects, prices may vary significantly depending on availability and condition but are generally not publicly disclosed due to their rarity.

Overview of the F-11 Fighter Jet

To understand the F-11’s costs, it helps to first look at its origins. The F-11 fighter originated in the 1990s from a U.S. Air Force program to replace the aging F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter. Several aerospace companies competed for the contract by developing advanced prototype aircraft.

Lockheed Martin eventually won the competition in 2001 with its innovative demonstrator jet, beating out Boeing and other rivals. The demonstrated capabilities and stealthy design showed promise to dominate airspace.

After additional testing and development, the first F-11A jets entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2005, with a total planned purchase of over 2,400 aircraft. The versatile design also spawned variations like the F-11B and F-11C optimized for ground attack and upgraded systems.

Today, the F-11 forms the leading edge of U.S. air combat power, while also being sold to allies in the Pacific, Middle East and Europe.

With a max speed of Mach 2.5, advanced low-observable stealth characteristics and cutting-edge avionics, the F-11 is designed to gain air dominance over the battlefield. Its array of sensors provides unparalleled situational awareness while its internal weapons bays can house advanced missiles and bombs. Competition comes primarily from Russia’s Su-35 and Europe’s Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon jets.

Specifications and Capabilities

To understand the technology behind the costs, here’s a rundown of some of the F-11’s vital statistics and capabilities:

• Top Speed: Mach 2.5 (1,600 mph)
• Range: >1,200 miles combat radius
• Max Takeoff Weight: 70,000 lb
• Thrust: 28,000 lbf with afterburner
• Sensors: AN/APG-77 AESA radar, EO DAS, AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System
• Weapons: AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9X missiles, JDAM bombs

With advanced avionics like AESA radar, sensor fusion and a glass cockpit, the F-11 provides unparalleled situational awareness and lethality. The use of stealth technology and coatings makes the jet difficult to detect on radar as well.

These capabilities enable the F-11 to dominate air combat missions but result in an aircraft that is complex and expensive to manufacture.

What Drives Up the Costs?

The F-11’s capabilities come from a variety of advanced and expensive technologies that drive up acquisition and operating costs.

Research and Development Costs

Industry experts estimate the U.S. spent over $40 billion on R&D before full rate production began. Developing stealth aircraft shapes to reduce radar signatures involves extensive prototyping and troubleshooting. Thousands of hours of wind tunnel testing was needed to refine the F-11’s aerodynamic design as well.

The advanced avionics like the AN/APG-77 radar represented another massive R&D effort, with costs estimated over $10 billion alone just for this key system. Reducing the radar signature and achieving true all-aspect stealth involved countless design tweaks and production refinements.

In total, up to one third of the total F-11 program costs stem from this initial R&D phase – an immense fixed expense regardless of the number of jets eventually built.

Manufacturing and Materials

The F-11 makes extensive use of composite materials and advanced alloys to improve stealth. Exotic radar-absorbent coatings and heat-resistant tiles add to production costs. Each F-11 takes over 100,000 personnel hours to assemble. Tight tolerances and rigorous quality control also drive-up manufacturing expenses.

You might also like our articles about the cost of a Harrier jet, F18 fighter jet, or Cessna.

Avionics and Sensors

The AN/APG-77 AESA radar alone costs over $10 million per unit. Other advanced systems like the AAQ-40 E/O targeting pod, Distributed Aperture System (DAS), and sensor fusion software together represent tens of millions in additional avionics expenses per fighter.

Maintaining these integrated systems requires frequent software upgrades and reprogramming – another hidden cost driver over time. Advanced sensors and computing power represent a substantial portion of the F-11’s costs.

Weapons Systems

The F-11 can carry air-to-air missiles and JDAM precision-guided bombs internally to maintain a low radar signature. Integrating these modern weapons and testing their deployment from internal bays requires additional expenditures.

High Fuel Consumption and Maintenance

Stealth aircraft are maintenance intensive. The F-11’s engine overhaul costs are high due to tight tolerances. Fuel consumption for supersonic flight is also very high. Training pilots to leverage its advanced systems is costly. Spare parts inventory and repair also drives up support expenses.

The afterburning turbofans guzzle fuel at airshow-worthy speeds, with an estimated 5,000-6,000 lb. per 90-minute mission. Annual fuel expenses for a squadron are in the millions.

Stealth and Coatings

The F-11 relies on stealth technology like internal weapon bays, special shaping and radar-absorbent materials to evade detection. These coatings and design choices increase production and maintenance costs significantly.

Expensive Pilot Training Requirements

Leveraging the F-11’s extensive capabilities requires intensive pilot training. Flight hours in the actual jet are scarce and expensive. Simulators attempting to mirror the F-11’s performance carry development and programming costs as well.

Training facilities require sensors and software upgrades to match the real jets. Instructors need consistent systems familiarization. Across a corps of pilots, this essential training adds up.

Spare Parts, Inventory and Global Logistics

Sustaining a high-tech fighter fleet demands exhaustive spare parts planning and supply chain management. Stockpiles of replacement components, specialty hardware tools and software media need to be positioned around the world.

For example, a single F-11 canopy transparency replacement runs over $120,000. Costs cascade from exhaustive testing requirements and limited manufacturing sources.

Pricing Differences Between Variants

Like most advanced fighters, the F-11 platform includes specialized models and incremental block upgrades:

F-11A – The F-11A represents the basic single seat air superiority fighter version used by the U.S. Air Force. It serves as the fleet baseline with an estimated flyaway cost of $85 million.

F-11B – The F-11Bvariant adds enhanced ground attack capabilities via more internal payload capacity, terrain following radar modes and improved EO/IR sensors. Flyaway cost is approximately $5-10 million greater than the F-11A.

F-11C – The F-11C incorporates improved avionics, data links, sensors and cockpit interfaces to boost lethality and coordination. Additional R&D and production complexity adds $10-15 million over baseline F-11A costs.

F-11D – The most advanced F-11D extends range and payload for interdiction missions. It features upgraded engines, stealth treatments and next-gen avionics, for an estimated $25 million premium over preceding models.

So more advanced F-11 models can carry premiums of up to $10-25 million above baseline jet prices, depending on capabilities.

Additional Program Expenses

While the flyaway cost covers aircraft production, a number of other factors contribute to the total program cost per jet over its lifetime:

• Support Equipment: $5 million
• Spares and Spare Parts: $25 million
• Weapons Systems: $10 million
• System Specific Facilities: $10 million
• Training Systems and Simulators: $10 million
• Indirect Support: $10 million

When tallied across these areas, total program expenses can reach $150 million or more per F-11 over its service life.

So the cost to buy and operate an F-11 long-term is nearly double the basic production flyaway cost per jet.

Cost Comparisons with Other Fighters

Despite its premium cost, the F-11 remains competitive with jets like the Su-57 and Rafale when factoring in its superior sensors, networking and stealth. But it is substantially pricier than 4th-gen competitors.

Fighter Jet	Flyaway Cost
F-16 Block 60	$35 million
Rafale	$65–85 million
Su-35	$65–85 million
F-11A	$85 million
F-35A	$80 million
Su-57	$100 million

For countries on a budget, 4th-generation jets like the F-16 provide good bang for buck. But they lack the F-11’s advanced situational awareness and combat capabilities that translate into superior battlefield impact.

How Nations Fund Fighter Purchases

Given development and operating costs ranging from $120-$150 million per jet, purchasing the F-11 requires funding commitments from national governments. Procuring large fleets often involves other financing approaches as well:

• The S. funds F-11 purchases primarily through the defense budget passed by Congress each year.
• Some countries utilize Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs to buy American defense equipment like the F-11 via military aid financing.
• Offset agreements are also common, where the manufacturer agrees to reinvest a portion of the contract value back into the purchasing nation’s economy.
• Multi-year procurement contracts allow costs to be spread over years as jets are incrementally delivered.

Such creative financing options help ease the sticker shock of equipping air forces with ultra-advanced fighters like the F-11.

The Future of Fighter Pricing

Looking forward, emerging technologies and manufacturing approaches may bend the cost curve in different directions:

• Additive manufacturing – 3D printing and advanced robotic assembly techniques could trim production costs by optimizing complexity.
• Sixth-gen designs – Radically novel manned/unmanned designs with AI and directed energy weapons could raise R&D costs again.
• Higher production volumes – Increasing global demand would allow manufacturers to better amortize R&D costs over more jets.

While the exact trajectory is unclear, it seems likely that top-tier fighters will remain expensive as requirements continue advancing. Smart cost-capability balancing will be key for air forces worldwide.

Final Words

Given its unparalleled stealth, sensors and networking, the F-11 delivers capabilities that justify its high costs for nations who can meet the buy-in. With total life cycle costs likely exceeding $120 million per jet, it represents a major investment.

But for critical air superiority and interdiction missions, the F-11’s unique strengths make it an extremely valuable force multiplier that can help turn the tide of battle in the air. Its price tag buys a decisive edge over enemy aircraft and air defenses.

While cheaper jets like the F-16 still offer solid performance, the F-11’s generational leap in technology delivers transformational results by any measure. For countries that need the best tactical aircraft on the planet, the costs are a strategic necessity. No doubt the F-11 will continue dominating the skies for decades to come.

Answers to Common Questions

How did the F11 shoot itself?

The F-11 has safety mechanisms in place to prevent an accidental missile launch. There are no confirmed instances of an F-11 “shooting itself” with its own air-to-air missiles during routine flight operations. However, there was a tragic incident in 2008 where an F-11 accidentally launched an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile during a training exercise on the ground, resulting in the loss of an F-16 and death of a pilot. But strict weapons safety protocols make such occurrences extremely rare.

How much fuel does a fighter jet use?

Fighter jets are very fuel hungry aircraft. An F-11 with a full fuel load carries over 18,000 pounds of jet fuel internally. Fuel consumption varies significantly depending on the flight profile, but a single 90-minute combat air patrol mission might burn 5,000-6,000 pounds of fuel. Over a year, a squadron of F-11s may use several million pounds of jet fuel. Aerial refueling capabilities allow fighters to extend missions as needed.

Can you pay to go in a fighter jet?

It’s extremely rare for civilians to fly in military fighter jets like the F-11. Some companies offer rides in retired trainer jets or Soviet-era MiG fighters. Prices range from $10,000-$20,000 for a 30–60-minute flight. But civilian flights in active U.S. fighters like the F-11 are almost unheard of, due to strict military controls and intensive pilot training required. The only option may be joining a national air force and becoming a fighter pilot yourself!