4 ms·

If you think about it, in the future, the SpaceX/Blue Origin might get the ICBM part of Boeing Business.

frank2 7y ago
Space X and Blue Origin have no expertise in rocket motors with solid fuels, which are the only kind of motors used by the advanced militaries since about 1970 because it takes tens of minutes to fuel a liquid-fueled motor and then once it is fueled you have at most a few days to fire it or undergo an expensive process of removing the fuel. I think you probably end up throwing the unused fuel away (and maybe also cleaning everything of fuel residue).
- tim333 7y ago
  The old IBCMs of mutually assured destruction fame were liquid fuelled and could be launched straight away but had other issues eg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_explosion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_ex...
  - dragonwriter 7y ago
    > The old IBCMs of mutually assured destruction fame were liquid fuelled and could be launched straight away but had other issues True of Soviet ICBMs (including some still operational in Russian service) and early US ICBMs, but the Minuteman I, introduced in 1962, and all later US ICBMs (Minuteman II & III, Midgetman, Peacekeeper) were solid fueled. > and could be launched straight away but had other issues Those “other issues” directly impact the probability of successful launch “straight away”, and did involve having to replace the fuel. (They also involved missiles exploding in their silos, which is bad enough when it's a ground based ICBM, but pretty catastrophic when it's a sub-launched ballistic missile, which cost the Soviets a number of subs apparently.)
    - catalogia 7y ago
      > the Minuteman I, introduced in 1962, and all later US ICBMs (Minuteman II & III, Midgetman, Peacekeeper) were solid fueled. To be fair, there were Titan II's in service almost until the very end of the cold war; into the late 80s. (And were used for satellite launches until 2003, but that's another matter.)
catalogia 7y ago
Even if that happens, Boeing does a lot more for the federal government than just rockets.

Space X and Blue Origin have no expertise in rocket motors with solid fuels, which are the only kind of motors used by the advanced militaries since about 1970 because it takes tens of minutes to fuel a liquid-fueled motor and then once it is fueled you have at most a few days to fire it or undergo an expensive process of removing the fuel. I think you probably end up throwing the unused fuel away (and maybe also cleaning everything of fuel residue).

tim333 7y ago
The old IBCMs of mutually assured destruction fame were liquid fuelled and could be launched straight away but had other issues eg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_explosion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_ex...
- dragonwriter 7y ago
  > The old IBCMs of mutually assured destruction fame were liquid fuelled and could be launched straight away but had other issues True of Soviet ICBMs (including some still operational in Russian service) and early US ICBMs, but the Minuteman I, introduced in 1962, and all later US ICBMs (Minuteman II & III, Midgetman, Peacekeeper) were solid fueled. > and could be launched straight away but had other issues Those “other issues” directly impact the probability of successful launch “straight away”, and did involve having to replace the fuel. (They also involved missiles exploding in their silos, which is bad enough when it's a ground based ICBM, but pretty catastrophic when it's a sub-launched ballistic missile, which cost the Soviets a number of subs apparently.)
  - catalogia 7y ago
    > the Minuteman I, introduced in 1962, and all later US ICBMs (Minuteman II & III, Midgetman, Peacekeeper) were solid fueled. To be fair, there were Titan II's in service almost until the very end of the cold war; into the late 80s. (And were used for satellite launches until 2003, but that's another matter.)

catalogia 7y ago

Even if that happens, Boeing does a lot more for the federal government than just rockets.