4 ms·
The F-35 first flew in late 2006, and they've debugged it enough to get it into full production...17 years later. In the private sector, you'd no longer be abl
by rgmerk 3y ago
The F-35 first flew in late 2006, and they've debugged it enough to get it into full production...17 years later.
In the private sector, you'd no longer be able to buy the components it's built out of.
Ridiculous.
- newzisforsukas 3y ago> In the private sector, you'd no longer be able to buy the components it's built out of. Hmm? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_C-130_Hercules https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_C-130_Hercules
- mschuster91 3y agoThat long availability is part of why anything aerospace, marine or heavy industry costs an arm and a leg. With dozens of millions of dollars apiece at stake and an expected service time of many decades, the economics make sense.
- nicce 3y agoWouldn't components get cheaper over the long term? Manufacturing must get better during the years and old tech should not be that secret anymore. 30 years to optimise the manufacturing line to make the same components? What I am missing?
- bombcar 3y agoQuantities aren’t high enough. Which is one of the reasons the military likes using civilian ammo.
- alistairSH 3y agoMilitary aircraft have production runs they can span many years (F-16 production turns 50 this year).
- bombcar 3y agoThe B-52 has been operating long enough to have grandkids flying it: https://www.minot.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/264580/three-generations-of-b-52-airmen/ https://www.minot.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/264580...
- MrMember 3y agoThe B-52 will likely hit a century of operational use, it's kind of insane.
- tragiclos 3y agoAerospace programs can have extremely long timelines in the private sector, too. Variants of the Boeing 737 have been produced since 1966. While the recent MAX versions were flawed and Boeing has some real quality issues, you can still get service parts for the original airframe.
- Kubuxu 3y agoThe F-35 program was developed with the principle of concurrency in mind. The first aircraft rolled off the production line before the majority of the parts were finalized. Think of it as the first build from your CI/CD pipeline. The benefits are similar to the reasoning behind setting up CI/CD in software. They are just more significant, as production takes a while to ramp up when it comes to complex hardware.
- sillywalk 3y agoThey've already produced over 1000 of the ~ 2400 they are expected to produce. As for upgrades.. they're behind schedule.[0] There's Tech Refresh 3, which looks to be improved computers/displays/software, which is needed for Block 4, "which will include new sensors, the ability to carry more long-range precision weapons, more powerful data fusion, increased interoperability with other platforms and advanced electronic warfare capabilities."[1] [0] https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/03/30/f-35-upgrades-slip-to-2024-drawing-lawmakers-ire/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/03/30/f-35-upgrades-sli... [1] https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/12/15/f-35-head-warns-future-upgrades-at-risk-production-shutdown-possible/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/12/15/f-35-head-warns-f...
- red-iron-pine 3y agoa nasty, brutal peer-vs-peer war is going on right now between what is one of the largest militaries in the world (Russia) against a smaller, but heavily supplied by NATO (Ukraine). most of the fighting, and a whole lot of dying, has been with late-cold-war era tech. The upgraded T-72 tank, and it's successors, the T-80, and T-90, for example, are all far older than 2006.