Here is a page which gives the cost of producing 1 B-17g in 1943-44. Cost of a B-17 $238,000? Seems like a fair price!
With Sherman's costing c.$40-50K (costs thread) I wonder if that's roughly the same ratio as between an Abrams and an F16 (right comparitor?) today? Had a quick shufti and it does look like the ratio is broadly similar. Abrams: - c.$4.3M F16: - c.$14-20m (not sure about this, some variants quoted at c.$30m)
Cost - B-24 Liberator The common perception of the Liberator initially was that it was less durable than the B-17 Flying Fortress. In fact, the Liberator was superior to the B-17 in terms of speed, range and bomb load. In the Pacific, they gradualy phased out Fortesses. Each B-24 cost the US goverment aproximatly $297,627 to build. not a great deal of difference.
I would be a B-24 nut as opposed to a B-17 nut!!! My favourite derivative though would have to be the Consolidated PB4y-2 Privateer: Aircraft: Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
I would be a B-24 nut as opposed to a B-17 nut!!! My favourite derivative though would have to be the Consolidated PB4y-2 Privateer: Aircraft: Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer Interesting page. I like the format, especially the 'Known serials' bar. I wish we had the same resource for Armour.
Interesting page. I like the format, especially the 'Known serials' bar. I wish we had the same resource for Armour. Would the records exists, Bod? It would be interesting to see that get of the ground (my puns are becoming worse, sorry guys).
The War Department vehicle serial number records are sketchy in the extreme. There is the RAOC Chilwell depot list, a published record of softskin serials. However there does not appear to be an equivalent resource for AFV's. Other than going back to the WD contract cards held on file at Bovington there is no easy way of sorting it.
Picked up a book at Beltring that does include a list of armour WD census number serials. So with my copy of the Chilwell 'B' vechicles list and this new book I should have a complete list of Number allocations for the British vehicles. Complete with thier prefix letters and a description. Happy days.. Bod
From Buying Aircraft: Material Procurement for the Army Air Forces. (One of the Official 'Green Book' US Army history of WWII : Table 19 --- Average unit costs of selected aircraft 1939-1945 Boeing B-17 1939-1941: $301,21 1942: $258,949 1943 not listed 1944: $204,370 1945: $187,742 The price/cost varied so widely due to the number produced in any given year. In 1939-1941 for instance, only a couple hundred B-17 were manufactured, so the costs of dies, tooling, etc, as well as higher raw material prices owing to not buying the materials in large bulk quantities meant each plane costs more to produce. By 1944-1945, with thousands being manufactured, the costs of tooling, labor, cheaper prices on large amount purchases of raw material being spread over 1000's of units as compared to spread over 100's earlier, brought the price down by about 1/3.
The Norden bombsight in the B-17 cost $10,000. To fly in one, a man was paid $250 a month and $90 flight pay (in late 1942).
