I think you're being deliberately obtuse. Your examples,
two of them over forty years old, relate to a different
time and mindset involving the legendary Skunkworks. It doesn't exist anymore. How about today's Skunkworks? X-33 come to mind? Or how about the F-22? In development for over ten years - nothing off the production line yet, and project costs continue to escalate, forcing further drag-outs in the program timeline. Osprey? C-17? ($350M for a cargo plane!!!)Or from the era you referred to, the X-15? Waaaaay over budget, just for the engine. And this is just sticking to aircraft production. What about the FAA's program to upgrade ATC radar systems and computers? The overruns are mind-boggling.

I submit that for every black program you know about,
there are easily ten that have busted their budgets.
Goldin worked for TRW, a king of black - really black -
projects. He says he knows of a number of projects that went 500% over budget. Security costs alone do not explain that kind of overrun - it's the pursuit of
technology breakthroughs.

High tech will ALWAYS cost more (whether done privately or by government contract) than planned because it's out on the bleeding edge, it's expanding the state of the art, pushing into new -and expensive - territory. Complaining about cost overruns on such programs is like complaining about the rain - you can count on it happening , it's a pain when it does, but you need it. I realize you're a JAPOT, but you're being overly critical and using tunnel vision in your charges, given what's being attempted and acheived.

-Kim-