Space

Subject:      Titan IV costs
From:         thomsona@netcom.com (Allen Thomson)
Date:         1995/12/17
Message-Id:   <thomsonaDJqr9x.7zK@netcom.com>
Newsgroups:   sci.space.policy

   Here's a bit more detail on how the bucks are going for Titan 
IV procurement.  As those with long memories will recall, the 
discussion was started by a Defense News item of two weeks ago 
which gave the DoD's total program cost for the T-IV as a little 
over $2.6e10 in "current year dollars."  For this impressive 
amount, the taxpayer gets 47 launchers. 
   Unfortunately, I couldn't find documents of this sort for 
other fiscal years -- if anyone has them, it would be 
interesting to extend the T-IV spending profile to FY 96 and 
also back in time. 
   Department of Defense Budget For Fiscal Year 1994
   Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System
   US Department of Defense
                Other Procurement Programs, Air Force
                      Space Boosters [p. 105]
   Description: Provides for the procurement of Titan IV and the 
   refurbishment of Titan II Space Launch Vehicles.  The Titan IV 
   can accommodate the Centaur upper stage and Inental [sic] Upper 
   Stage (IUS) to launch the Department's heavier space payloads. 
   Martin Marietta was competitively [sic, ROTFL] selected as the 
   prime contractor. General Dynamics produces the Centaur upper 
   stage and Boeing produces the IUS.
   Mission: Provides consolidated launch support for requirements 
   common to space programs. Program provides capability to launch 
   critical DoD operational payloads.
                             Program Acquisition Costs
                                   ($ Millions)
                      FY 1992              FY 1993             FY 1994
                     Qty   Amt            Qty   Amt           Qty   Amt 
   Item              (-)*  287.5          (-)  369.4          (-)  470.6
   Initial Spares              -                   -                   -
                           _____                _____              _____
   Subtotal                287.5                369.4              470.6
   RDT&E                   140.7                120.8              330.7
   Military Construction       -                    -                  -
                           _____                _____              _____
   TOTAL                   428.2                490.2              801.3
*  "-" is apparently budgeteer for "none"
   Note that in these three FYs the program absorbs 1.72 gigabucks 
and delivers no rockets.  I'd guess the hefty RDT&E is 
mostly going to the T-IVB upgrade, which is supposed to fly 
starting in December 1996.
   The document also has the numbers for the combined Delta II 
and Atlas II programs, which are given here for comparison with 
the above data.
                Other Procurement Programs, Air Force
                   Medium Launch Vehicle [p. 100]
                      FY 1992              FY 1993             FY 1994
                       Qty  Amt           Qty   Amt           Qty   Amt 
   Item                (4) 221.3          (4)  223.7          (2)  145.4
   Initial Spares              -                   -                   -
                           _____                _____              _____
   Subtotal                221.3                223.7              145.4
   RDT&E                    40.4                 49.7               58.5
   Military Construction    25.0                 33.0                 -
                           _____                _____              _____
   TOTAL                   286.7                306.4              203.9
   Finally, and just for fun, here's a quote on the T-IV from a
recent AAS meeting:
   "The Titan 4 is my favorite launch vehicle.  It's the only one 
   that violates every rule of economics.  The last one coming off 
   the assembly line is more expensive than the one before...  It's 
   not Lockheed Martin's fault.  The intelligence community likes to 
   build their payloads on top of the rocket."
     John Egan of Egan International, speaking 4 Dec at an American 
     Astronautical Society conference in Marina del Rey, CA.
     Space News, 11-17 Dec 1995, p.22