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Great post, thanks. This contrasts with the American inability to ramp up artillery shell production recently. Not enough money in artillery shells so the de
by woooooo 2y ago
Great post, thanks.
This contrasts with the American inability to ramp up artillery shell production recently. Not enough money in artillery shells so the defense industry doesn't have capacity, they've been focusing on more profitable weapons.
- DeathArrow 2y agoI doubt China has much more money, but they are certainly able to produce at lower costs.
- woooooo 2y agoI was more pointing at the different priorities and cultural biases. The western MBA ideology biases them against wanting to make boring, reliable low-margin goods.
- DeathArrow 2y ago>The western MBA ideology biases them against wanting to make boring, reliable low-margin goods. Does any MBA care if they sell 100 x thing for $1000/thing or they sell 1000 x thing for $100/thing?
- TeMPOraL 2y agoThey don't, which is worse, because they may also not care whether they'll sell 100x $1000 weapon that works, vs. 100x $1000 weapon that doesn't, but checks all the contract checkboxes.
- maxglute 2y agoYeah, current asymmetry is US wages/labour costs biases towards expensive defense. Add multiplier for expeditionary model. US has like 1:10 "tooth to tail" logistics ratio operating on opposite side of the globe, it's expensive to operate far from shores so force composition oriented towards spending extra money on expensive platforms to deliver high end weapons with low dud rates since it cost so much just to bring ordnances in theatre. VS PRC fighting in her backyard can value engineer the shit out of their cruise missiles, like they do EVs, as long as they perform adequately, they come out ahead massive in total bandwidth of fires they can deliver in theatre. Even duds that fail, if they fail within missile defense engagement envelope can still bleed expensive interceptors assembled/delivered from some pork barrel jobs program factory in CONUS that could be better automated.