Originally Posted by
pax britanica
Lonewolf50... I was just making the point that in ultra complex technology/engineering companies scale matters a lot and the UK doesnt come close.
Your point on scale is 100% agreed.
During any reduction in defense spending, when does one know when one has cut a load of fat but has not yet begun to cut muscle and sinew?
Sometimes, when the latter is realized it's a bit late.
"Keeping the defense industrial base warm" is sometimes derided as inefficient - I will argue that RR is a part of the UK's defense industrial base, and if I am wrong will certainly accept correction - but in the mid to long term it saves having to start again from scratch, or, not be able to produce things at all.
(There is an interesting point on that last bit in a thread on Mil Av about tanks, tank parts, and tank ammo, FWIW).
The American auto giant GM, at one point, began shedding brands like Pontiac and Saturn but retained some core brands like Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet.
They wanted to cut some fat but keep the muscle, bone and sinews intact.
Back to RR: I remember when P&W was a part of United Technologies. When one of you all mentioned that it was part of Raytheon, I had to go and look that up. Yikes, happened in 2020.
Is RR attractive enough for someone similar to bring them in?
Is that what this current leadership is trying to set the conditions for?