Public Accounts committee  I could turn it over to Mr. Ross. I don't believe the joint strike fighter program would have a particular view about our operating costs. Dan, would you like to comment on that?

Public Accounts committee  The government has been clear that there will be a $9 billion acquisition envelope. At the time of the decision in 2010, we put forward for approval a $5.7 billion envelope estimate for in-service support and sustainment. We acknowledged that we expected the operating costs to be similar to those of the F-18, on the order of $10 billion over 20 years.

Public Accounts committee  I don't think I ever said the life-cycle cost of the CF-18 and the F-35 were identical.

Public Accounts committee  No, we just had one set of books, Mr. Hawn.

Public Accounts committee  I think that's true. ADM Mat could speak to that in a little bit more detail. It's at the 20-year point, especially in sustainment, that the confidence bands really start to weaken around estimates. Dan, would you like to say anything on that issue?

Public Accounts committee  Simon, would you like to answer?

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I will just say a couple of things. When we worked with the Auditor General, or with his office, on this report, I think we all recognized that stepping back over 15 years, this truly was a unique program that allowed us, with nine other partners from the beginning of 1997, to spread the developmental risks, the technological risks, and the cost risks of development, where most of that was actually being absorbed by the United States.

Public Accounts committee  There are a number of questions there, but I do appreciate the member's offer to help me on this. We'd have to go back to the action plan, but I believe that in 2010 we undertook to develop appropriate methodologies to life-cycle costs. We are in the process of developing those methodologies.

Public Accounts committee  I don't know because we actually haven't done it. We have reported $9 billion for acquisition; that is the envelope. Then $5.7 billion is for sustainment. As you all know, $10 billion was the estimate for operating, which we will firm up over time.

Public Accounts committee  I have no problem with that.

Public Accounts committee  I don't mean to be difficult, but I'm not sure about the 2008 and 2009 reference. I spoke to the issue of the last four and then the consistency of the fifth major air asset acquisition since 2004. In each case we have spoken publicly to the issue of acquisition costs and sustainment costs, and we have said that operating costs are affordable and prioritized within our budget that goes before Parliament every year.

Public Accounts committee  Yes. It's basically the same number we used for the F-35. We said we thought the operating costs would be similar, so some $10 billion over 20 years.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, I would speak just very briefly to this and then turn it over to the assistant deputy minister of materiel, who has a very close working relationship with the joint project office. Just on one point you raised, on the issue of the variant, I think there has been a lot of confusion.

Public Accounts committee  His statement, not in his report itself but to my understanding from his testimony last week, was that he got it wrong on the 2008 issue and the $25 billion.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, just to get the timing and the sequencing right, the costing and the decision documents for cabinet were completed in the spring of 2010 and the Auditor General's report was in the fall of 2010. Our management action plan, which spoke to that recommendation, spoke to timing that would have seen that work completed, I believe, later in 2011.