Life cycle costs of aircraft systems

For some time the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been placing an increasing emphasis on life cycle costs (LCC) to ensure they are given proper weight in procurement decisions. It is only by looking at the life cycle costs that one can be certain that the apparent attractiveness of cheaper acquisition options is not outweighed by later high in-service costs. This paper examines the major elements of aircraft system LCC and highlights some of the complexities involved. The emphasis is on aircraft but the principles apply equally to sea and land systems