Canadian military buying armed drones for $2.49B

It’s the lifetime cost of all operational and support equipment. So not just the price of a “new car”, but the cost of all maintenance, tires, oil changes, car washes, fuel, storage, insurance, all paid up-front.

Not to justify it, but contextualize it. The cost is indeed crazy.

How can it cost 3x as much as an F-35?

Here's what the official government news releases say:

$19 billion for 88 F-35s = $216 million each - source

$2.5 billion for 11 Reapers = $227 million each source

... so I don't think you're right.

Edit: This CBC article quotes an unnamed "senior defence official" as saying the first four F-35s we purchased cost $85 million per plane, whereas the numbers quoted in the press releases above are the all-in costs including all the "sustainment set-up and services" such as ground control centers, training, etc. So without being an expert on this stuff, I do think the numbers in the press releases are a better apples-to-apples comparison.

Edit 2: but yeah, your point still stands.... Is a Reaper worth as much as an F-35? Beats me....