01-07-2022, 04:37 PM
I'm not sure if there is a development/construction environment more unnecessarily complex and convoluted than building a modern US Navy aircraft carrier. Not to mention expensive and lengthy. I struggle to think of another historical example.
I appreciate all of this is cutting edge and like trying to get an orchestra of systems all on the same sheet of music. By the cheapest committee of orchestra conductors tax dollars can buy.
I would also like to state my opinion based on experience, the military in general sucks at contracting. They are horrible at it. They never met snake oil they didn't immediately fall in love with. The flashier and more grandiose it looks on an evaluation report, the better.
Below is a video on an old Russian made IS-7 tank from the late 40's. It was really an amazing piece of engineering. At the time, nothing could touch it. The problem? It was too much. Too heavy. Too expensive. Too over engineered (learned from the Germans maybe?). They didn't go with it. What it took to make 1 IS-7, the same manufacturing base could make 5 or more T-55's.
The Russians had just finished a bloody PhD course in how to win a war. They knew it was large numbers of capable tanks versus a few amazing tanks. There is probably a lesson in here somewhere IMHO.
I appreciate all of this is cutting edge and like trying to get an orchestra of systems all on the same sheet of music. By the cheapest committee of orchestra conductors tax dollars can buy.
I would also like to state my opinion based on experience, the military in general sucks at contracting. They are horrible at it. They never met snake oil they didn't immediately fall in love with. The flashier and more grandiose it looks on an evaluation report, the better.
Below is a video on an old Russian made IS-7 tank from the late 40's. It was really an amazing piece of engineering. At the time, nothing could touch it. The problem? It was too much. Too heavy. Too expensive. Too over engineered (learned from the Germans maybe?). They didn't go with it. What it took to make 1 IS-7, the same manufacturing base could make 5 or more T-55's.
The Russians had just finished a bloody PhD course in how to win a war. They knew it was large numbers of capable tanks versus a few amazing tanks. There is probably a lesson in here somewhere IMHO.