I asked the same question on Strategic front but my thread was locked because I am from Al Bakistan and I have different lovers!
Biggest expense in a Flying Test Bed is the high flying aircraft.
A brand new IL76-MD-90A costs 50 million dollar or so. 4-5 will come 200 million dollars. Make it 400 million dollars with all the spares and modifications to make them test bed.
Is 400 million dollars that big of an amount?
We spend 500 million dollars on these useless statues
Patel must be crying in afterlife!
Remember, this will get us the latest and greatest IL76-MD-90As. If you want to save money, lots of second hand planes were on sale during Pandemic. We can go for one of the variants of 747. It is also a 8 engine plane which is used in Amerikkka for engine development.
Cheapest are old 1980s airframes costing few millions. More recent ones cost more but then you get a modern plane with lot more life left.
I blame bloody Baboos of MoD. All of them deserved to be hanged on the India gate.