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crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx

IronClaymore posted:

Really, what are Hellfire missiles made of? Steel Aluminium, nitric acid, dimethyl hydrazine, explosive, and a circuit board. It costs what, $20, maybe $30 in raw materials?

So you are saying all of the design, engineering, refining, manufacture of components, assembly of components, testing, training and transport should in no way be factored into the cost of something?

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crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx

IronClaymore posted:

I love that they can charge so much for precision optics. I'd have a quip for this if I was still a Marxist, and an even ruder quip if I was still a classical capitalist, but now I simply find it amusing. No really, I'm sure they are excellent electronics and optics, I don't doubt that.

The costs do add up of course. And yes for reasons of vaguely defined security excuses we can't look too deeply into the finances of the companies that manufacture devices that the public demand are used to kill people we suspect to be villains. [No pacifist slight intended, that was pure legalese.] But is the work really worth that much? A $500 phone is ridiculously more complicated and sophisticated than any missile from the 80s, and the Chinese manufacturers of those phones are still making good profits, so the raw materials can't be much. Most of the rest of a missile is cheap metal and chemicals, you're right though maybe it does have a little bit of precision optics.

I'd love to be the CEO of the company that assembles the thing. Are the optics seriously going to cost a year's pay? I'd assemble the thing myself, make a bundle.



ALL-PRO SEXMAN posted:

seriously you are one goddamned stupid motherfucker

crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx

I Love Jesus posted:


NATO's on its way to irrelevance

NATO seems to be working pretty well as a deterrent against greater conflict against its members. I would not be surprised to see even more countries join.

crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx
Russia probably likes the money they get from that natural gas though.

crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx

theperminator posted:

Lol kill yourself. Plane flies over the tip of their country for 10 seconds = warranted death?

When you do it repeatedly even after you are warned, and you are on the way to bomb Turkey's allies then yeah you might deserve it.

crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx

theperminator posted:

Their allies in ISIS?

I have no love for Turkey, they are certainly playing factions against each other. But the point still stands.

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crabcakes66
May 24, 2012

by exmarx

Othin posted:

lol wait, so they're not even using their own system (GLONASS)??

There are receivers that can use GPS and GLONASS at the same time.

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