More defence doh!

Apparently Sikorsky is about to launch a pilotless version of the Black Hawk helicopter.

Do you suppose the Future Lynx helicopters, which we're buying for £27 million each, will ever be able to do that?

Defence protectionism means missing out on such innovation.

It's always the same pattern; bogus arguments about sovereign supply mean we try building it ourselves (see Blowpipe, SA80, Phoenix et al). We do so at vastly inflated cost, and being in a technological cul de sac, miss out on innovative refinements.

Then we end up buying off the peg, but at tailor-made prices.

Doh.

Posted on 3 February 2010 by Douglas Carswell

Comments

I am always appalled by this blog. Why, when the (excellent) Dan Hannan has so many people queueing up to comment, do you have nobody?
I wish I could have been able to make this comment when i was staying in Saudi recently!
Well said!

Posted on 3 February 2010 09:34 by Mike Stallard

"we try building it ourselves (see Blowpipe, SA80, Phoenix et al)"

Sure, there have been failures... and there have been successes - the SA80mk2, Storm Shadow, ALARM, the Nimrod R1, Sea Dart, Land Rover, the Pinzgauer, and the Vulcan... which also provided the engineering knowledge and skills for Concorde.

And what about the failures of ditching sovereign capability to buy off-the-peg? The cancellations of the Miles M.52, TSR-2, Blue Streak and then Skybolt... we're faced with a choice of Trident at immense cost vs no nuclear deterrent because we chose to give up a soverign capability for an Anglo-American project, which was then cancelled by the US. That's not an uncommon pattern, since the US - rightly - looks out for its own interests. Maybe ask Sweden what it's like to no longer be able to build submarines, too.

As for writing off arguments about sovereign supply, you're going to have to do a lot better than name-calling. You're still assuming the existence of a liquid market which simply isn't the case for all but the simplest kit.

Posted on 3 February 2010 10:57 by Russ Williams

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2009/09/unmanned-logistics-getting-the-delivery-through/

Karmen K Max, unmanned supply helicopter costing about $5m a piece.

Posted on 3 February 2010 11:39 by DominicJ

Dear Mr Carswell I see that my previous link did not strike a note (though I imagine you must be a very busy man, so that is ok).

But please try to read this post at Think Defence.

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2010/02/off-the-shelf/

Also Taiwan is buying Blackhawks right now from the states and it is costing them $52 million. As I said before there is more to a chopper than just buying it.

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2010/01/so-how-much-is-a-blackhawk/

Posted on 3 February 2010 12:45 by 13th spitfire

Mr. Williams Sweden does build its own submarines with Stirling engines. They are built by the Kockums wharf which is owned by Germany's Kraussmaffei

Posted on 3 February 2010 12:46 by 13th spitfire

Agree that the SA80 was a disaster, and should never have replaced the wonderful SLR - which, of course, was a version of the Belgian FN FAL.

Posted on 3 February 2010 15:03 by Freddy

Well said 13th spitfire!

I have never seen Mr Carswell mention anything about support costs for equipment, training, interoperability, theatre entry standards, infrastructure requirements etc etc etc.

I realise they are all very boring when compared to the ticket price for units of equipment, but without them the kit is literally useless once purchased.

Posted on 3 February 2010 20:39 by Tony Steel

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