Nation: How Costs Climb

As arms have become more sophisticated, their costs have soared. But even weapons that have remained basically unchanged, or filled unchanged functions, have gone up far more than the overall inflation rate of 75% during the past decade or so. Examples:

¶ M-16 rifle bullet: 6¢ to 19¢(up 217%)

¶Hand grenade: $2.06 to $6.49 (215%)

¶ M-16 rifle: $82 to $260 (217%)

¶ Army Jeep: $2,835 to $9,067 (220%)

¶ 8-in. howitzer: $173,246 to $463,000 (167%)

¶ Airplane jet engine: $262,000 to $677,000 (158%)

¶ CH-53A helicopter: $1.9 million to $10.4 million (447%)