Comment Re:If only the UK navy could follow suit (Score 1) 517
I don't know the details, but big expensive high tech stuff costs money, especially when made under government contract. This is not just banditry - working with government agencies requires a company to structure itself to make a report every time someone goes to the john.
Beyond that, since at least the early 1970s the cost of most defense systems has not been the hulls, wings, and wheels. Case in point - some years ago I learned that more than 1/2 the cost of the then-hot-new fighters the F-18 was software. The plane had over 1000 VME circuit boards. Of course the more they make, the lower the unit price goes - but budgetary overruns (like you've never run late on a project?) often cause a reduction in total units, which means that huge upfront development cost gets amortised over fewer units.