A few years ago the Polish Air Force published the cost per flying hour of several aircraft models. This information is rather unique, because Poland operates Western and Soviet aircraft. The data can be seen in the table below.
The first thing that caught my eye was the cost of the Su-22, comparable to the F-16's. A number of factors could affect this, and it is difficult to draw conclusions. The F-16s are more modern aircraft and were recently delivered, thus the ground staff will need more time to familiarise themselves with the type. The Su-22 has a variable geometry wing, which is more complex to maintain. On the other hand the aircraft has served for decades. On top of this, 100 were bought, of which only 18 remain in service. It would not be surprising if existing spares are used, so no funding is needed for new ones.
As expected, the MiG-29 is more expensive to operate than the F-16. Polish Fulcrums are early versions, and the applied upgrades have been limited. It is well known that the engines need more maintenance per hour of use than F-16s. More modern series correct this, and are 40% cheaper to operate.
The C295 is surprisingly cheap to run. An An-26 is almost 4 times more expensive. The Antonovs have already been retired, so it is likely that the fleet was worn.
The Bell 412HP helicopter is more expensive than Mi-2 and even Mi-8. The Bell is used for VIP transport. One factor could be the spares, which have to be imported for a few birds.
