Once one has lost control what is the value in being a 'target'? You can't really be both. The steam engine, refrigeration, etc, are all examples of this kind

Once one has lost control what is the value in being a 'target'? You can't really be both. The steam engine, refrigeration, etc, are all examples of this kind of invention which make their inventors quite well off even if eventually eclipsed by successors. War is inevitable... don't fret over some invention, if it's useful in war it will be used in war regardless of its other merits. Often the tech transfer is backwards, from war to civilian life.