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   feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:47:12 JST feld
   > Raytheon Calls In Retirees To Help Produce Stinger Missiles
   >
   > "Stinger’s been out of production for 20 years, and all of a sudden in the first 48 hours [of the war], it’s the star of the show and everybody wants more," Wes Kremer, the president of Raytheon Missiles & Defense, said last week.
   >
   > Raytheon needs to produce the Stingers using blueprints drawn up during the Carter administration, as using more advanced production methods would require redesigning the weapon.
   >
   > "We were bringing back retired employees that are in their 70s … to teach our new employees how to actually build a Stinger," Kremer said. "We’re pulling test equipment out of warehouses and blowing the spider webs off of them."
   >
   > The US Army placed an order for Stingers in May 2022 to replace ones sent to Ukraine, but the Pentagon said they won’t be delivered until 2026. Kremer said it would take at least 30 months for the first missiles to be completed due to the time it will take to restart production.
   
   
   Wait I thought everyone was mad we were sending Ukraine all of the good weapons we need. :laugh:
   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:49:24 JST feld

     in reply to
     Like why the fuck would we even bother keeping Stingers in stock if we can't even produce more of them?
     
     These government military contractors suck ass, that's not a healthy relationship. If it's in our inventory and meant to be part of our arsenal it better be ready to crank up production on a moment's notice
   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:52:24 JST feld

     in reply to
     The contract should have stated that they will either be capable of producing new units on demand within like a week, or they get a penalty of like $500M a day. That's just complete bullshit. Bait & Switch.
     
     If you build a weapon for the military and aren't prepared to support it for the next 50 years you should be disqualified.
   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:56:59 JST feld

     in reply to

     • Kevin Karhan :verified:
     we'd save TRILLIONS
   • Embed this notice
     Kevin Karhan :verified: (kkarhan@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:57:00 JST Kevin Karhan :verified:

     in reply to

     @feld well, if we go by that route, we'd have to essentially make nationalized arsenals again - which would be a good thing as they'd not be run with profit motive for shareholders!

   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:59:31 JST feld

     in reply to

     • Kevin Karhan :verified:
     the people engineering the weapons could be paid the same salary by the gov, probably get better healthcare etc, and we'd end up with the same results minus all the shareholders raping our Treasury
   • Embed this notice
     Kevin Karhan :verified: (kkarhan@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 04:59:33 JST Kevin Karhan :verified:

     in reply to

     @feld Yeah, and we could then use that money for good...

   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:08:08 JST feld

     in reply to

     • Kevin Karhan :verified:
     Ok one other idea: let's give military contractors 3 years from original order of the new weapon and then we demand the schematics and share with all the other contractors who will now have the opportunity to build the same weapon at a lower cost and win the contract for the next order
   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:09:20 JST feld

     in reply to

     • I am Jack's Lost 404
     • Kevin Karhan :verified:
     This is how it was, I'm disappointed that this is where we're going back to...
     
     It doesn't work well in cities though. The risk is too high the properties insured next door will burn
   • Embed this notice
     I am Jack's Lost 404 (float13@hackers.town)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:09:21 JST I am Jack's Lost 404

     in reply to

     • Kevin Karhan :verified:

     @kkarhan @feld

     Hate to be the bearer of bad news:
     https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39516346

   • Embed this notice
     Kevin Karhan :verified: (kkarhan@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:09:22 JST Kevin Karhan :verified:

     in reply to

     @feld I mean that's why we don't privatize fire departments:

     Because we want these to work as egalitarian and equally accessible utilities or rather emergency services...

     And it's not as if there isn't any ability to compete or exchange materials across states in alliances like the NATO either...

   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:14:41 JST feld

     in reply to

     • I am Jack's Lost 404
     • Kevin Karhan :verified:
     Go look up the DoE's reports on our large power transformers (LPTs). A ton came online in the 70s when the grid got its last great investment(?) and we don't have replacements on hand. They take years to build and each is custom for the specifics of their load and the distance they're transmitting power, IIRC.
     
     We can only build the smaller ones, the others all are made by Siemens in Germany. And they cost a few million each.
     
     Some are starting to blow. Nobody's being proactive about it.
   • Embed this notice
     Kevin Karhan :verified: (kkarhan@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:14:42 JST Kevin Karhan :verified:

     in reply to

     • I am Jack's Lost 404

     @float13 @feld Not every place is as shitty as the #USA when it comes to #Utilities and Governance!

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcrsgdl_hP0

   • Embed this notice
     feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:33:23 JST feld

     in reply to

     • I am Jack's Lost 404
     • Kevin Karhan :verified:
     I don't doubt it.
   • Embed this notice
     Kevin Karhan :verified: (kkarhan@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jul-2023 05:33:24 JST Kevin Karhan :verified:

     in reply to

     • I am Jack's Lost 404

     @feld @float13 Again: Not every place is so criminally negligent in terms of infrastructure as the #USA is...

     In fact Grid Operators in Germany may even have some spares of those onsite just to comply with critical infrastructure requirements so they can just switch over to the "warm spares" and shit's going fine without much interruptions - if any at all...