Rick James

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@Zaphod2042 @ValkStrategy But with gcap we get the good bits, especially the engine part.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@JP_Picquence @ArmchairAdml I agree, though i think we might of played a blinder here. By not including them at the start we can honestly claim the design is nailed down and can't change.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@JP_Picquence @ArmchairAdml Isn't f136 a bit big engine for tempest. 2 f136 would be enough for 2 f35s so more like 60 ton mtow. That would be super pricey jet, I thought tempest was meant to be 35 ton a more incremental increase from eurofighters 25 ton. Also doesn't f136 have US ip as it was joint GE.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@Aptarus @FennellJW @MattStark1991 Yeah i never understood why the carrier and nuclear thing was such an obstacle. Whats the real difference between an f16 and f18. If you had to go f18 would you really care.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@JP_Picquence @ArmchairAdml Just take the approach of f35, outsource some production. I only say engines because we already co-produce eurofighter engines with the germans, and tempest engines are a progression of eurofighter engines.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@Aptarus @FennellJW @MattStark1991 I agree uk french projects tend go very well, but often we want the same bits. Aka is it a safran or rolls royce engine.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@Aptarus @FennellJW @MattStark1991 Thats ok we could take the approach of outsourcing a sharr of some production to germany in partnership like f35 does. So some if the engines, like with eurofighter, and some of the radars with hendosolt. Also they can put any weapon in they like.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@Aptarus @FennellJW @MattStark1991 Lots of people have expertise, the uk has sufficient expertise. We still got two partners to help fund it, even with those its difficult to fund. If we get the chance we'd love to get germany on board to bring in much need funds and boost economies of scale.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@Aptarus @FennellJW @MattStark1991 Ok but I still don't know how france is going to fund this, we in the uk are struggling to find the funds for tempest and we have japan and Italy helping and this is with the uk having a bigger defence budget than France.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@JP_Picquence @ArmchairAdml Monopoly, if we don't achieve sufficient economies of scale and gather enough funding tempest will fall short or fail. Then the americans will keep the market. Its not us vs germany its us vs the americans and chinese.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@FennellJW @MattStark1991 The french where clearly not interested in fcas. How they planning on funding it on thier own?

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@PaMaask @FennellJW If we had gone for a simpler lower performance truck mounted spg like ceasar or bohdanas we could of scaled much faster. Both those production lines are already at good scale, and bohdanas from a stand start.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@AlexLuck9 The problem comes when your capability requirement is so expensive that it consumes all your resources, its still not enough to field the capability, and your left with neither the high or low capability. Look at the rn.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@thinkdefence Oh its totally because conventional manned vessels have become completely unaffordable. Its driven vessel numbers to zero. Its effectively find an affordable alternative or die.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@gregbagwell Your totally right. A main benefit of autonomy is miniturisation, which is a major driver of cost reductions and resulting volume increases.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@NavyLookout @FennellJW @Justin_Br0nk Glide bombs are another example of mass precusion, look at thier effect in ukraine, but f35 means we can't make our own or source from anywhere else than the US.

[Rick James @RickJames147288]

@TBrit90 This is the way its going. Mass producible strike which you have to admit has been getting better and better while maintaining its obscene mass produciblility.