The original programme cost estimate was £70 million before 1962,[64] (£1.39 billion in 2021).[65] The programme experienced huge cost overruns and delays, with the programme eventually costing between £1.5 and £2.1 billion in 1976,[66] (£9.44 billion-13.2 billion in 2021).[65] This extreme cost was the main reason the production run was much smaller than expected.[67] The per-unit cost was impossible to recoup, so the French and British governments absorbed the development costs.