a sidewinder missile, air to air, not very big, pretty much the cheapest missile in the arsenals, in use since 1956 costs around $400,000

why does one missile, an expendable munition, cost the same as 16 honda civics (a decent automobile).

sure sure, the honda is mass produced, different economies of scale. the sidewinder has sophisticated sensors and a lot of testing.

but still. and thats just the cheapest missile.
harpoon missile, another air to air: 1.4 million
patriot missile, surface to air: 4 million dollars a pop
tomahawk missile, surface to surface: 2 million

29 million dollar sm-3 missiles have been fired at $100 drones

does it need to cost this much or is the pricing a scam? i don't know, but its a valid question. a rolex watch doesn't cost $10,000 to make, its a mass produced watch, but the market will pay $10,000. the difference is the missiles are coming out of your tax dollars.

could they lower costs somehow and are choosing not to, assuming its not just an outright scam.