Forum: F-35 versus XYZ

Quote:

"Did you know there are more people with genius IQs living in China than there are people of any kind living in the United States?"

First line quote from fairly recent movie, not verified, of course...yet

Shocked

(You young kids, quit complaining about your view of how the world should be, get on the stick and learn something useful.)

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There are only three times as many people in China as in the US.

Four times...

Might I suggest geography and math. Very Happy

spazsinbad wrote:

These bits are missing from the transported (to another dimension?) X-47B: "......The 38-foot-long aircraft has a 62-foot wingspan (about half of that when folded for transport) and no tail, no cockpit, no engine exhaust and no afterburner....
...McKinney did acknowledge that the plane’s wings were removed for transport...

In one of the youtube videos of the previous transport, there were multiple 'escorted' trucks in the convoy. This scenario would suggest the wings and engine were removed before transport.

I'm still not sure why they didn't just stick it in a C-5 or An-124 and fly it over. Wide load logistics for long distance road transport wouldn't be cheap either. Another option would be to have a F/A-18 escort it cross country. UAVs do fly with chase/escort aircraft for test flights.

outlaw162 wrote:

Four times...

Might I suggest geography and math. Very Happy

So I used 300k and 1B instead of 310k and 1.2B. The point stands that the ratio isn't something like 100:1 or 1000:1, which is what China would need to have more geniuses than the US has people.

The breeding rate ratios are probably not linear either, and indeed the resources to feed all the resulting geniuses might be severely taxed. You have a point.

Just be the best 'you', you can be, plus or minus 25%. Very Happy

outlaw162 wrote:

The breeding rate ratios are probably not linear either, and indeed the resources to feed all the resulting geniuses might be severely taxed. You have a point.

Just be the best 'you', you can be, plus or minus 25%. Very Happy

Tibetans learn calculus ( or at least used to ) at an age where we in the US teach our kids algebra. So what's my point? My point is, "So what." Since when did the Chinese find the resources to develop 2 rip off fighters at the same time the US "had" to scrap Raptor at 187 copies because of financials? We can't afford to keep the production line open of one aircraft already developed, while developing another aircraft that's going to replace four other aircraft across 3 services?

sewerrat wrote:

Tibetans learn calculus ( or at least used to ) at an age where we in the US teach our kids algebra. So what's my point? My point is, "So what." Since when did the Chinese find the resources to develop 2 rip off fighters at the same time the US "had" to scrap Raptor at 187 copies because of financials? We can't afford to keep the production line open of one aircraft already developed, while developing another aircraft that's going to replace four other aircraft across 3 services?

The expenses of invasion, "nation-building" and payoffs in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere have bought the U.S. "peace" but at the cost of additional airframes of one type or another. Ditto for "homeland security" and the "war against drugs." (We capitulated on immigration throughout US history despite a 1970's task force study which concluded the quality of life in the US would diminish after 270 million populace was attained.) These costs have simply added up to be more formidable than LockMart can possibly afford to counter with its bitty millions lobbying on manned aircraft. The future is autonomous systems, if only because they are expendable and can be parked until they are needed.

Asians still don't innovate comparatively despite their early, mostly rote, training at subjects like math. I expect this will change within a generation or two.

velocityvector wrote:

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Asians still don't innovate comparatively despite their early, mostly rote, training at subjects like math. I expect this will change within a generation or two.

I wonder if it's a cultural thing, i.e. risk aversion to save loss of face?

Good observation, popcorn. I lived in three countries in Asia for ten years, working as technical advisor to fighter development programs. I found much of what you speak of, in addition to all decisions being top-down. No one would disagree with the boss, even if they knew he was wrong. Also, there was great reluctance to give the boss bad news, delaying it as long as possible, hoping it would go away.

johnwill wrote:

Good observation, popcorn. I lived in three countries in Asia for ten years, working as technical advisor to fighter development programs. I found much of what you speak of, in addition to all decisions being top-down. No one would disagree with the boss, even if they knew he was wrong. Also, there was great reluctance to give the boss bad news, delaying it as long as possible, hoping it would go away.

Under current economic circumstances in the US, and assuming you had a family to feed, would you behave any differently? Further assume that, after your firing, nobody would ever accept to hire you or your relatives or allow any of you into university despite stellar achievement. Some might argue that, over time, Americans have towed the line this way and they are growing accustomed to a mindset caused by treating institutions, corporations and natural persons (American citizens) as equivalents with each possessing equal rights.

My post was in no way a criticism of Asian culture, simply an observation. They have been doing it that way for thousands of years, and it seems to have worked out fine for them.

Yes, the hierarchy is very obvious in asian, maybe that's what it takes to organize large population. But it has its shortcoming.

The Japanese have a history of a lot of innovation -- but that is a completely separate subject from lack-of-wistle-blower problem.

Forum: F-35 versus XYZ

SAC F-60 V.S. F-35