Modern Fighter Jets: Estimated Hourly Operating Costs
Modern air warfare is increasingly dominated by fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft. However, operating and maintaining these jets demand significant financial resources and technical support. Most publicly available cost figures are estimates and may not fully represent actual military spending. According to War Wings Daily, Russia's fourth-generation Su-35S, developed by the Sukhoi Corporation, has an estimated hourly operating cost of about US$15,000 to US$17,000. The same source estimates that the hourly cost of the fifth-generation Su-57 Felon is around US$30,000. The same source estimates the hourly operating cost of the modern F-16 at roughly US$22,000 to US$25,000, France's Dassault Rafale at about US$18,000, and China's Chengdu J-10C at approximately US$8,500. Among the more affordable fighter jets, the JF-17 Thunder, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, is estimated to cost US$4,000 to US$6,000 per flight hour. India's HAL Tejas is estimated at a...