The 7 golden rules of reducing the cost of military aircraft

[Major Shaitan Singh]

Military aircraft take too long to develop, cost too much to manufacture and are consequently available to air arms in insufficiently small numbers. Here’s how to avoid the current mess.

1. Prioritise development
For a frontline aircraft, here is the order of priority:
Sensors/software: average development time 18 years to maturity
New guided munitions/development/integration: average development time 17 years to maturity
Engines: average development time 15 years to maturity
Airframe: average development time 10 years to maturity
Strangely, the reality is almost the opposite with an aircraft starting life in the wind tunnel, despite aerodynamics being the most predictable facet of modern aircraft development.

2. At least two of the following components must be already available off-the-shelf:sensors/engines/airframe (note that former two can be replaced in upgrades).

3. Invest a large amount in a short development time. However terrifying this figure may be, it is guaranteed to be less than the 25 years it currently takes a frontline aircraft to go from concept to operational service. 10 years is not unreasonable. Do not let the requirement be altered during development.

4. Three simple metrics should dominate the design process: power-to-weight/reliability/range, however wonderful the weapons systems promise to be they will benefit from these inherent advantages.

5. Plan who will pay for upgrades in the future.

6. Small factories (of the lowest possible tech) close to all component assemblies (to make this work it must made clear that the cost savings outweigh the political advantages of multi-state collaboration).

7. The A variant will have insufficient fuel, electrical and processing power for upgrade, this is normal, but plan how it will be rectified in the B or C model.

 

[holysaturn]

Extremely true and it suits well for other platforms too. Sophistication for the sake of it(as it is usually done ind India) with little utility is mindless.Good equipment are not built with tomorrows technology or todays technology but yesterdays technology which is mature and in production for more than 5 years, the ones who always advocate for advanced technology are often the ones who dont understand it.
Replace scientists with engineers, back the requirements with adequate operational research,maintain a lean team.