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I do agree with the first idea. The second one is not always the best line of thought, especially when it's about sovereignty or defense. Suppose you buy fight

I do agree with the first idea. The second one is not always the best line of thought, especially when it's about sovereignty or defense. Suppose you buy fighter jets from China, but tensions rise and you somehow cut diplomatic ties. How are you going to get maintenance parts. Very inaccurate example but just to illustrate that yes, economically, your idea makes sense. Geopolitically, it depends.

lightgreen 6y ago
> How are you going to get maintenance parts. Buy the planes with spare parts and training. When calculating a price for a plane, include not just the price tag, but also the risks of getting these planes unusable in ten years. So yes, buying jets from China might be not the best idea even if they initially seem cheaper. But that’s not the case for US jets.
- wongarsu 6y ago
  > But that’s not the case for US jets. Why? It's hard to predict how relationships with the US will look over the next 40 years (F-18 is 37 years old). Especially with relationships on a downward trajectory during Bush's and Trump's presidency. Sure, the risk is a lot smaller than with China, but it does exist
- 10000truths 6y ago
  Spare parts and training are not enough to maintain a fleet of fighter jets. You need experienced in-house technicians to provide the maintenance and replace the black-box electronics, which means you're still at the mercy of whatever country manufactures the jets. Doesn't matter if it's China or the US, if they decide a year down the line that they don't like you, guess what? No servicing for you, and your fleet of fancy jets will only last until they break down, or get remotely disabled/bricked/self-destructed with a kill switch. Maintaining a Sovereign Nation 101 is that you do not entrust your national security to another country. Sure, it's more expensive to do your own R&D and manufacturing, but you get the peace of mind that your continued existence does not depend on a foreign government's continual blessing.
  - lightgreen 6y ago
    Doesn't Sovereign Nation 101 teach, that if you spend too much GDP on military, soon you are in debt and then failed state, and no longer sovereign?

lightgreen 6y ago

> How are you going to get maintenance parts. Buy the planes with spare parts and training. When calculating a price for a plane, include not just the price tag, but also the risks of getting these planes unusable in ten years. So yes, buying jets from China might be not the best idea even if they initially seem cheaper. But that’s not the case for US jets.

wongarsu 6y ago
> But that’s not the case for US jets. Why? It's hard to predict how relationships with the US will look over the next 40 years (F-18 is 37 years old). Especially with relationships on a downward trajectory during Bush's and Trump's presidency. Sure, the risk is a lot smaller than with China, but it does exist
10000truths 6y ago
Spare parts and training are not enough to maintain a fleet of fighter jets. You need experienced in-house technicians to provide the maintenance and replace the black-box electronics, which means you're still at the mercy of whatever country manufactures the jets. Doesn't matter if it's China or the US, if they decide a year down the line that they don't like you, guess what? No servicing for you, and your fleet of fancy jets will only last until they break down, or get remotely disabled/bricked/self-destructed with a kill switch. Maintaining a Sovereign Nation 101 is that you do not entrust your national security to another country. Sure, it's more expensive to do your own R&D and manufacturing, but you get the peace of mind that your continued existence does not depend on a foreign government's continual blessing.
- lightgreen 6y ago
  Doesn't Sovereign Nation 101 teach, that if you spend too much GDP on military, soon you are in debt and then failed state, and no longer sovereign?