The global defense market dawned on September 7, 2026 with key news surrounding the pricing of the most advanced fighter jets and plans for the production of new missile weapons. While the US stealth technology program is experiencing a significant price increase, Russian state-owned companies are reporting a steady pace of deliveries and are moving towards cost-effective offensive assets.
Why the price of the F-35 has skyrocketed for international buyers
According to data from the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), cited by Breaking Defense (breakingdefense.com), the base price of the next-generation fighter jets has increased by over 11% for production batches (lots) 18 and 19. The conventional takeoff modification F-35A now exceeds $92 million, while the vertical landing variant F-35B has reached $121.4 million.
Military experts from Defense Express (defence-ua.com) explain that these amounts represent the so-called "flyaway cost" (price for a fully finished aircraft without additional services), applicable only to the US government. For foreign buyers, however, the real value of one aircraft often exceeds $200 million. The reason is that international contracts necessarily include expensive logistics, construction of ground infrastructure, spare parts, pilot training and weapons packages. As an example, experts cite contracts with the Czech Republic and Poland, where the final price per unit is many times higher.
"Rosoboronexport" fulfilled more than half of the plan for 2026
Against the backdrop of the dynamics in the US, the Russian state exporter "Rosoboronexport" announced its interim results for the current year. The company's General Director Alexander Mikheev told TASS (tass.ru) that as of September 2026, the plan for the supply of military equipment to foreign partners had been fulfilled by more than 50%.
The statement was made on the eve of the El Alamein International Airshow 2026 in Egypt. Mikheev stressed that interest in Russian weapons remains stable, with the emphasis on the fifth-generation multi-role Su-57 fighter jets and the "Caliber" cruise missiles. The main market advantages of the equipment remain its complete independence from imported components and real combat experience.
Russia begins mass production of the cheap "Dan-T" cruise missile
At the same time, it became clear that the Russian Federation is beginning a transition to the production of a new type of cheap missile weapons, known as "Ersatz missiles". Ukrainian military adviser on technological issues Sergey "Flash" Beskrestnov published on his channels (t.me/serhii_flash) the first photos of the new "Dan-T" cruise missile.
According to technical analyses published by UNIAN (unian.net), "Dan-T" visually resembles the budget rocket drone "Banderol", but differs significantly from the older modification "Dan-M", developed on the basis of a reactive target. The main characteristics of the new weapon include:
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Range: up to 500 kilometers.
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Warhead weight: 135 kilograms.
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Launch platforms: Su-25SM3, Su-30SM, Su-34, Su-57 aircraft and Mi-28 helicopters.
Aviation experts note that the main danger of the "Dan-T" missiles lies in their extremely low production cost compared to the strategic Kh-101. Moscow plans to produce about 10,000 units of this type by 2027, which will pose a serious challenge to enemy air defense systems.