I was talking to an engineer from Raytheon about a project and one thing came up I found interesting. When a system is developed the prototypes are built using

I was talking to an engineer from Raytheon about a project and one thing came up I found interesting. When a system is developed the prototypes are built using lab conditions meaning very tight tolerances often coupled with equally ridiculous tests. This ensures the thing works reliably in any situation it might encounter and possibly beyond. Once you have a working prototype then the manufacturing design phase begins where you then look to relax the stringent lab standards. This means lower tolerances that still allow the thing to be reliable while now making it more easily manufactured at volume. BUT That isn't always the case because of deadlines and and some parts or the entire project never move past lab spec and retain insane tolerances. So yes, sometimes tests are "stupid" but that doesn't mean you ignore them and lie because of "feelings". In the case presented here I think the accused wasn't very forward thinking. She only thought of the sub as a purely water born ship but fact is they operate both at and below the surface. They also need to operate near the earths poles where they might surface for hours exposing the hull to temperatures damn near -100F.