How much do fighter jets cost?

Short answer

A state-of-the-art fighter jet costs between $70 and $120 million per unit at the factory: the F-35A runs around $80-85 million, the Rafale or Eurofighter about €90-110 million, and the Gripen E somewhat less. With weapons, spare parts, simulators, and training, an export contract usually doubles that figure per aircraft (2025 figure).

Published: September 21, 2026 · Updated: September 21, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

The three F-35 Lightning II variants in flight

The price of a fighter jet is a slippery figure because there are at least three ways to count it. The "flyaway price" is the aircraft with engine and avionics as it leaves the factory; program cost additionally spreads development costs across all units produced; and a contract price includes weapons, spare parts, support, and training over years. Comparing figures of different types is the most common mistake.

Reference unit prices

The F-35A, the most-produced fighter in the West, has run around $80-85 million per unit in recent production lots, with the B and C versions priced above $100 million. The Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon run between €90 and €110 million; the Swedish Gripen E is somewhat cheaper, and the F-16 Block 70, a heavily modernized 1970s design, costs around $60-70 million. Russia and China publish little data, but the Su-35 has sold in contracts implying $80-100 million per aircraft (2025 figure).

Why a contract costs double

When a country buys fighter jets it usually does so as a package: missiles, guided bombs, helmets, simulators, spare engines, tools, training courses, and sometimes infrastructure work. That's why export deals land at $150-250 million per aircraft. Sales approved by the US State Department are announced using the package's maximum value, which inflates the headline figure even further.

The cost you don't see

The purchase is only part of the real expense. An F-35's flight hour costs over $30,000, and a Eurofighter's is comparable; over 30 or 40 years, maintenance and upgrades cost double the price of the aircraft itself. That's why defense ministries increasingly talk about life-cycle cost rather than just purchase price.