Seems like someone high up didn't want to spend too much on an "untested" method in case it didn't work as expected, and it didn't work as expected because they

Seems like someone high up didn't want to spend too much on an "untested" method in case it didn't work as expected, and it didn't work as expected because they cheaped out so they won't be able to put more money. Sounds like government work at its finest..