Why is it that as soon as defense cuts are ever talked about, out comes the knock British engineering and buy off-the-shelf kit brigade. A hell of a lot of engineers working across the UK have worked very hard on trying to give our armed services the best equipment they possible can, these guy’s have had to work with new design tool’s, new processes, new technology, changing customer requirements, lack of data, more changes in requirements etc.
Yes we can by ‘off-the-shelf kit’ Ships, Sub’s, Aircraft, land vehicles etc, yes we can close down the last of the UK’s engineering industry, yes we can put tax payers money into the pockets of Europe and the States, but what would we be left with? A poor country dependent on others for our defense!
Does everyone truly believe that all of these off-the-shelf platforms come trouble free! What will happen when the MoD want to add this and change that? Well we will get cost overruns, late programmes etc.
If we want value for money kit we need to improve the way these major projects are managed, we need to control the customer requirements; we need to start learning from Nimrod, Type 45 etc.
Sign In
