Re:How a WWII Jet Fighter Was Designed in 150 days & shipped...
by jrwoodruff on Tuesday September 21, 2010 @09:26AM
(#1712486)
From what I've read, there was a huge amount of politics involved in the F-22. Plus, we're not in WWII, so there's less demand on pumping out high volumes of good-enough planes and more focus on building something that really pushes the limits of technology, which the F-22 does.
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Re:How a WWII Jet Fighter Was Designed in 150 days & shipped...
by redrobot5050 on Tuesday September 21, 2010 @11:10AM
(#1712869)
Yeah. I remember reading that the F-22 or the JSF has contracts in 48 states. They really spread around the contracts to ensure smooth sailing in Congress. Everyone got a piece of the action (jobs to bring home) so to speak.
The problem is, it's also insanely easy to disrupt manufacturing that distributed. If it ever came to a war where bombs/rockets/cruise missiles were hitting our soil, it would be nearly impossible to ramp up production of this jet, much less protect the facilities involved in designing/making it.
Re:How a WWII Jet Fighter Was Designed in 150 days & shipped...
by notahacker on Tuesday September 21, 2010 @12:27PM
(#1713168)
If it came to war then speed of production of fighter aircraft would have a pretty minimal impact on the US ability to achieve air superiority. The days when Britain survived WWII by manufacturing >14000 Hurricanes are long gone
Re:How a WWII Jet Fighter Was Designed in 150 days & shipped...
by redrobot5050 on Friday September 24, 2010 @03:10PM
(#1724971)
You're right, but it depends on the length of the conflict. Each Apache Helicopter is built by hand. They have individual names. We only produce 60 of them a year.
I don't know the loss rate we've encountered in Iraq and Afganistan (I know its much lower than the Blackhawks) but even if you're losing 61/year for a long enough timeline....