On Mon, 16 Feb 2004 09:16:23 -0800, Harry Andreas wrote:
In article ,
(phil hunt) wrote:

I expect in that instance Britain would consider having its F-35s
contain the same sensor set as the Typhoon.

You may be surprised at the capabilities of the so-called "cut down"
sensor system. Typhoon currently has a mechanically scanned
radar.

Yes, I know, I was considering the phased one to replace it.

All military aircraft increase in price over time. In part this is a
deliberate ploy by defence contractors, some of whom have admitted
as much.

I've never heard such a confession and I've been in the industry for
25+ years. Can you provide a source please?

Sure.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2442322

Sir Raymond Lygo is a former boss of British Aerospace, so I
imagine he knows what he's talking about.

IME the cost growth over time have been the result of a steady
increase in performance at the request of the customer.

Yes, that's part of the ploy. to quote the article:

---------------------- begin ----------------------
I think it's a well-known fact, whether anybody admits it or not, is
you'll never get any programme through the Government if you ever
revealed the real cost.

Whatever you want to get through Government, you have to first of
all establish what is the Treasury likely to approve in terms of
money? And then you think, what can you offer for these terms within
the parameters that have been set? And pretty often it is pretty
nearly impossible.

So you say right, we can do this and we'll do it for the price and
then the programme goes ahead. But you know automatically that it's
going to cost more than that because it will.

And so after a year you say 'I'm terribly sorry but the costs have
now risen for this reason and the other reason'.
----------------------- end -----------------------


--
"It's easier to find people online who openly support the KKK than
people who openly support the RIAA" -- comment on Wikipedia
(Email: zen19725 at zen dot co dot uk)