Poland is about to close a deal for almost eight billion in Patriot missile systems from Raytheon. (RT: Patriot games: Poland expects to close $7.6bn missile systems deal by year-end)
Maybe you saw the Patriot systems in Saudi Arabia when Iraq was throwing crumby SCUD missiles at them because, well, everyone except America hates the Saudis. The response from the Patriot missiles was marginal at best. At a billion per, you'd think people would expect better performance but apparently that's not the case.
The beauty part is each missile system costs about the same as a nuclear submarine at about a billion dollars so Raytheon, in effect, sold Poland eight of them and come in Christmas for Raytheon, huh. Thank you Uncle Barack and Uncle Donald.
Even better for military systems which don't work is the perennial whipping boy for Pentagon incompetence, the F-35. Apparently it's stealth systems aren't too stealthy. (RT: F-35 report finds ‘only thing stealthy’ to be ‘the price tag’)
The easy fix for this one is for the Pentagon to buy their kit from the Russians; at least those systems work.
The advisory regarding the F-35 failings comes from POGO and the acronym is an ever-so-sly reference to the character created by Walt Kelly who saw Washington as clearly as anyone ever did.
We already know nothing the Pentagon is telling us about the F-35 has been true but that doesn't mean latching onto the first alternative will suddenly yield truth either. The Rockhouse view is the POGO story is more credible but make of it what you will.
Maybe you saw the Patriot systems in Saudi Arabia when Iraq was throwing crumby SCUD missiles at them because, well, everyone except America hates the Saudis. The response from the Patriot missiles was marginal at best. At a billion per, you'd think people would expect better performance but apparently that's not the case.
The beauty part is each missile system costs about the same as a nuclear submarine at about a billion dollars so Raytheon, in effect, sold Poland eight of them and come in Christmas for Raytheon, huh. Thank you Uncle Barack and Uncle Donald.
Even better for military systems which don't work is the perennial whipping boy for Pentagon incompetence, the F-35. Apparently it's stealth systems aren't too stealthy. (RT: F-35 report finds ‘only thing stealthy’ to be ‘the price tag’)
The easy fix for this one is for the Pentagon to buy their kit from the Russians; at least those systems work.
The advisory regarding the F-35 failings comes from POGO and the acronym is an ever-so-sly reference to the character created by Walt Kelly who saw Washington as clearly as anyone ever did.
We already know nothing the Pentagon is telling us about the F-35 has been true but that doesn't mean latching onto the first alternative will suddenly yield truth either. The Rockhouse view is the POGO story is more credible but make of it what you will.
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