Once again, “for operational security reasons”, the Canadian military is being cagey about the actual cost of the kits:
The latest order is for 1,000 bomb kits.
The original order last month was for more than 1,300 such kits. So in total more than 2,300 Paveway bombs.
The orders consist of specialized nose and tail systems, which transform an unguided dumb bombs into a laser-guided smart bombs.
[. . .]
So how much is this costing taxpayers?
According to DND, “for operational security reasons” the cost is not being released.
But John Pike, director of the Washington-based defence think-tank, Global Security.org, has said the weapons cost around $100,000 each.
However, another analyst, Bob Bergen of the University of Calgary noted in his study of Canada’s participation in the 1999 Kosovo air war, each Paveway cost Canada in those days $25,000.
At the CANSEC military trade show in Ottawa on June 2 an officer I was talking to suggested the cost of $35,000 for each bomb.
But hold on, says another well-placed source.
That individual says that each “bomb set” costs $15,000.
As a taxpayer, I rather hope the cost is closer to that last figure than the original number quoted!
