Okay. The cost to build the first Zumwalt was $3.8B. If the Navy stopped there, the per unit cost is $3.8B. But we built a second ship in the class at $2.8B, bringing the per unit average cost down to $3.3B each, due to non-recurring engineering (NRE) & design costs. The 3rd Z class DDG will cost $2.4B, bringing the per unit cost even lower.
That is the same principle as dollar cost averaging. So the Navy can "recoup" Z's high RDT&E costs by buying more than just a trio of the class (and restraining itself from design tweaks on successive builds). It's a "fix" insomuch as you double down on past acq decisions and throw more money at the program. It also assumes continuous process improvement and sound program mgmt practices (almost always a standard contractual req't with the defense vendors) to shave time and dollars on later builds.
The first JSF off the production line cost more than the last Raptor (at ~$122M), causing an uproar. The new cost estimates for the JSF have the A variant under $100M per unit for the first time, due to decreasing production costs.
Ref:
"The total procurement cost for [the DDG-1000 program] includes $3.8 billion for DDG 1000, $2.8 billion for DDG-1001, and $2.4 billion for DDG-1002. The balance of the procurement costs include $3.8B for non-recurring engineering (NRE) and $400 million for post-delivery and outfitting, totaling $13.2B,” read the statement from Navy Research, Acquisition and Development spokeswoman Capt. Thurraya Kent."
https://news.usni.org/2016/04/06/na...ete-zumwalt-class-due-to-shipyard-performance