Defense companies are not run by people who care or marvel at the machines they make. Every engineering task is metered out and engineers do not congregate together and discuss and argue what they are building. The people who care are neutered and the people running the showdo really care
Do not really care
Not exactly. PMRs are held all the time to review programs.
Military working in the Pentagon are loyal to the guys in the field. Either they just came from there, or going back, or have friends in harms way. To accuse them of not working towards the best solution is not how things are happening. AND most all engineering activity is spread throughout various locations where the design and testing is conducted.
Whoever thinks the Pentagon is engineering central has never worked there or understands the acquisition world.
The Pentagon is where budget wars are fought and technology is not built in a Pentagon lab somewhere within the building. The biggest enemy to proper funding are Democrats that want to fund silly social programs and Democrats short design, development and manufacture of sold weapons programs.
Cost per unit is important and a way the Democrats game the system. Cost-out a fleet of 1,000 new jets and it is palatable. But Democrats cut the number to be bought and cost per unit goes up and Democrats then argue the program costs too much and try - and many times succeed- in killing the program because of increased costs, increases they are responsible for.
“Defense companies are not run by people who care or marvel at the machines they make. “
Boeing and Space X were both given contracts to develop manned spaceships to supply the international space station. Space X has successfully delivered men to the station and brought them successfully back to earth in a reusable craft. Boeing has not. This despite the fact NASA contracted with Boeing for $90 million per astronaut per flight while Space X contracted for $50 million. Also despite the fact the original development contracts let by NASA paid $4.3 billion to Boeing and $2.5 billion for Space X. Boeing has become fat, wealthy, arrogant and complacent with its cozy contractual relationship with the federal government.
The day Boeing decided to move its headquarters from the Seattle area, where R&D and manufacturing take place, to Chicago should have been a wake up call that Boeing’s management is not involved in the day to day business of developing products, testing products, manufacturing products efficiently, and making customers happy. The debacle with the 737 Max shows a management team out of touch with its civilian business as well. The senior management team is focused on managing multimillion dollar stock options and bonus packages instead of running the business efficiently and effectively for its customers.
When your biggest customer, the federal government gives you favored treatment, doesn’t hold you accountable for mistakes, and hands you an open checkbook, the results are predictable. Likely the government contract writers are more concerned with Boeing’s diversity programs than the cost and effectiveness of the equipment they are buying.