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OTTAWA - The feds may eject out of the F-35 program and look for other rides as an auditor's report Wednesday set the lifespan cost of the stealth fighter jets at $46 billion.

"We are now pressing the reset on this acquisition in order to ensure a balance between military needs and taxpayer interests," said Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

The sticker price includes development costs dating back to 2010, and the cost of buying, flying, maintaining and disposing of the plane all the way to 2052.

While the new total is almost double the $25.1 billion presented in the auditor general's spring report on the F-35s, a senior government official says it's actually "very close to the original estimates."