Re: Why do we always re-engineer our aircraft??
WorkingHard,
“Why in Gods name did the politicians destroy our defence industry and in particular our aircraft industry, did we not at one time have the best in the world?”
Not this hoary old chestnut again!!!!
The UK currently has the second largest Aerospace industry on the planet, no guessing who comes first! The UK defence industry is the second largest exporter with a market share of over 20% with Russia and France trailing behind.
As to the UK Aerospace industry once being the best in the world, when? When did we ever make the best? Don’t trot out the old ‘Golden Age’ of the fifties and sixties, it may have been a super time to be a UK aircraft spotter but in terms of commercial success????
DozyWannabee,
The UK paid £26Billion in debt interest last year out of a total Govt budget of £519Billion, UK debt is less than that of any of our industrial competitors; France, Germany the US and Japan, even Canada! It is WAY less than the likes of Italy.
As to not affording to research, develop and procure or own stuff, 80% of the MOD capital spend is with UK companies.
Not even the US can afford to go it alone any more, look at the JSF, a UK workshare of over 19% of a multi thousand aircraft programme is bound to be a whole lot cheaper than if we had gone ahead and developed our own 150 aircraft programme. Provides a WHOLE lot more UK R and D and production jobs as well.
Standto,
You obviously have missed the whole IPR debate if you think we can simply assemble US kit over here and “engineer” our way out if we disagree, believe me, we can’t!