Re: [GZG] [OFFICIAL] Question: was Re: [SG3]: What if?

On Sunday 10 February 2008 08:36:30 Richard Bell wrote:
> On Feb 8, 2008 1:53 AM, Samuel Penn <sam@glendale.org.uk> wrote:
> > The main advantage here is that UAVs have the potential to be
> > mass produced in a very short space of time. You can go from
> > a small number (and low expense) of UAVs in peacetime, to lots
> > of UAVs simply by throwing money at some factories.
> >
> No, it is nowhere that easy.
>
> The cheapest way to build a small number of UAVs is to not build a
factory
> and produce a small number of what could be called preproduction
units.	If
> you build the capability to mass produce them, a small number will be
> prohibitively expensive.  An important question is what does the
factory do
> between production runs?

It's easier than building lots of manned aircraft, and training the
pilots.

Assuming a major war (which doesn't result in total annihilation of
both sides within 30 minutes), you'll have time and incentive to build
the factories to build the UAVs. UAVs lost in the early stages of
the war don't result in pilot loss, so the old pilots just fly the
newly produced UAVs.

If you lose aircraft, you also have to spend time training up good
pilots. I don't have figures on how long it takes to build a modern
fighter, or how long it takes to train a modern pilot, but I'd be
surprised if the first is longer than the second. Regardless, doing
one rather than both is going to be cheaper.

Why couldn't your example of how aircraft factories are kept running
in peace time also work with UAV factories?

-- 
Be seeing you,			       http://www.glendale.org.uk
Sam.			    Mail/IM (Jabber): sam@glendale.org.uk 

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