" recent unofficial quote from a Russian source says that Su-27s can be bought for about $8 million apiece. " and " Obtain a license to build
Su-27s in the U.S. without export rights. ".
I bet they'll cost 80 million USD if these Su-27 are build in the USA.
Ok, now, let's be serious one second.
1) When you buy your airplane from another country, it's true that you can save ( may be ) a lot of money. But you'll lose your ability and
technicals competences in that matter ( building aircrafts ).
2) Also, it's very dangerous. If there is a war between the US and Russia ( it's allways still possible ), I wonder what will do the US and Russians
pilots. In the both camps, pilots will shot down their own friends, thinking they were ennemies Su-27.
There is a lot of others problems, but it would take too much time and space to speak about them. So, may be it's funny for some peoples to think
that the USAF and USN pilots would have to fly with Russian aircrafts, but it's stupid. Some years ago, the Germans thought to buy Mig-29 ( the
EuroFighter was looking too much expensives ), but they finally changed their minds for the same reasons that I wrote above. But the Luftwaffe pilots
are flying now with some old Mig-29 from the former East-Germany.