Mystery in the Alps: A Chinese Family, a Swiss Inn and the World’s Most Expensive Weapon

WSJ ^ | May 16, 2024 | Drew Hinshaw

[Reverend Wright]

They need to know everything about the F35 to know what NOT to do.

[SaveFerris]

[They need to know everything about the F35 to know what NOT to do.]

Lesson #1 - do not design a fighter-bomber to be a .........

......Swiss Army Knife (oh, pun definitely intended)

[PIF]

jet, built to penetrate enemy airspace undetected.

—
That’s a laugh. Only stealthy head on. Else the bomb truck is highly visible.

[PIF]

The frequent and extended stays in China suggest they don’t even enjoy being in Switzerland.

—
Who would? From their perspective, they are surrounded by foreigners.

[PIF]

operations tempos, maintenance routines, materials - the Chinese still have not been able to make crystalline turbine blades uses in jet engines - further note, it wasn’t until last year they were able to make the ball of a ball point pen.

The Chinese spend billions per year to convince the rest of the world that their military is superior to every one else, that they have the best form of government, etc.

The only thing of note, they have over the US, is they have 288 times the shipyard capacity, and can crank out warships in less than a year.

[Zhang Fei]

[Who would? From their perspective, they are surrounded by foreigners.]

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Like I said, these people are the opposite of sleeper agents. Instead of embedding themselves into the community, they took care to stick out like sore thumbs. Their very ethnicity was a strike against them in terms of blending in. To take no measures to ingratiate themselves with the locals - it’s obvious these people were truly bottom-of-the-barrel, quality-wise. Higher quality prospects presumably had options that did not involve the risk of becoming involuntary guests of foreign governments.

They’re running into the same problem the Russians did once the government stopped being the only game in town, employment-wise. Private companies, while subject to random seizure by grabby apparatchiks, tend to hoover up the cream of the crop. Better pay, better benefits and a lot easier to job hop to other private firms if you hate your boss/job. The dregs go into government, which is why you get spectacular flame-outs like this particular operation.