Friday, September 28, 2007

MRAP Countdown

* This is odd, and also gives some insight into just what a belabored process building an MRAP is:

Spartan Chassis Inc. said it received a $52-million subcontract from Force Protection Inc. to support the production of Cougar series advanced tactical wheeled vehicles for military use.

The contract calls for the Charlotte-based unit of Spartan Motors Inc., the maker of custom chassis for recreational and emergency response cars and trucks, to supply and integrate key chassis components for the vehicles by March 2008.

March? That's 6 months from now ... and it's not like the chassis is something you can just affix to the hood at the end of production.

* A run-of-the-mill editorial seems to be in syndication, while a far more circumspect piece ran in Washington state:

But are "economies of scale" even part of the military vocabulary? If the MRAPs are replacing the Humvee, shouldn't it follow that fewer Humvees will be needed? And would a cynic be very far off base if he or she wondered at why refurbishing and replacing of equipment is let slide to the point that it takes billions of dollars in huge catch-up doses to bring it back to reasonable standards?

No comments: