In article ,
ess (phil hunt) wrote:

If a country already has a proven capability to design and build
aircraft, it can probably build its own cruise missiles.

Maybe, but the requirement for the "cheap cruise missile" is really
"design and build reliable aircraft in lots of thousands or more, along
with a command structure that can handle the sheer number of support
troops, and a few thousands skilled technicians who can run around and
make sure the things work after sitting in barns for a couple of years."

Make one? You could do that out of a garage. Making a hundred? A
small factory. A thousand? It starts getting difficult. Ten thousand?
You're looking at a top 20 industrial power, at least.

And this is in *addition* to your regular armed forces, which have to be
kept up while you're building this one-trick weapon. And hope nobody
finds a cheap countermeasure for it (a one minute shuotff timer in your
guidance system, courtesy of the Malaysians you bought the chips from,
for example).

--
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