Drift
Wideband Global SATCOM
WGS · Space Force · Boeing
+265%
$1.0B (2000) → $3.8B (2015)
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Baseline
$1.0B (2000)
Current estimate
$3.8B (2015)
Cost growth
+265%
Units
3 → 8
Quantity change
+167%
Unit-cost change
+37%
IOC
2004 (planned) → 2009
Schedule slip
+5 yr
Cost basis
TY
Confidence
high · reconciled
+265% total — but overwhelmingly QUANTITY: 3 → 8 satellites. Per-satellite cost (PAUC) grew a far smaller ~+37%. The textbook case for why total growth needs the quantity split — open the waterfall. Then-year across 15 years, so switch to Real to strip inflation too.
Source: WGS Dec 2015 SAR (DTIC AD1019569), Cost Summary & SAR Baseline History (then-year).
Drift — an independent project by Aous Abdo, built from public GAO, CRS and DoD sources. Cost growth has many causes; a larger number is not by itself evidence of mismanagement. How this is built · Explore the data →