Lockheed
Martin Corp., Akron , Ohio
Wow! That’s a lot of money for simple repair and
refurbishment of rocket motors.
This reminds me of Lions, Donkeys And Dinosaurs: Waste and Blundering in the Military (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lions-Donkeys-Dinosaurs-Blundering-Military/dp/0099484420/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437679942&sr=1-1&keywords=lions+donkeys+and+dinosaurs+waste+and+blundering+in+the+military). One of the authors main ideas is that the main purpose of the Ministry of Defence is to give government money to BAe. Doesn't sound too different over there. It's a reasonably quick read. The author probably has a bit of a chip on his shoulder from his service career. A lot of what he says makes sense. JCC
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, this is a complete regrain of the rocket motor, which isn't a cheap item to begin with.
ReplyDeleteThe history of the VLA (leading to these refurbishment contracts) would be a good topic for its own post. The system was designed as an evolutionary upgrade to the ASROC, to equip VLS capable ships such as Spruance, and ended up as a as risk mitigation to the Sea Lance program. Sea Lance was cancelled and VLA has been a solid system for the last twenty-five years. But the rockets are aging, and while the Navy was able to leverage procurements of the VLA made by Japan to keep the production line running, decisions by both the US Navy and Japan to discontinue production has resulted in Lockheed shutting down the manufacturing facility in Akron, increasing any future costs to restart production. In addition, low quantities contribute to increased cost since the qualification requirements are spread over a reduced quantity.
- interestedparty