Don't forget businessman Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense. One key aspect of his cost reductions was in aircraft where he considered there to be too much redundancy.
This attitude might work for automobile production but not necessarily for military aircraft. The redundancy mentality still existed in the Pentagon as it tried that with the F35 Joint Strike Fighter.
But each branch needed different performance and features for their aircraft which ended up making three different versions of the plane instead of a "joint" vehicle.
The attempt to create a universal combat aircraft for the Navy, Marines and Air Force caused cost over-runs so badly that the military tried to kill the program. But as you note in your article- Congress-people fought to keep the program because it was a JOBS program for their districts.
I was recently reading this great book: “the long hard road : lithium ion battery and the electric car.” and not surprisedly Musk’s name only appears in one chapter. He wasn’t a founder of Tesla but he did end up firing one of the founders. The other two founders eventually left the company.
Don't forget businessman Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense. One key aspect of his cost reductions was in aircraft where he considered there to be too much redundancy.
This attitude might work for automobile production but not necessarily for military aircraft. The redundancy mentality still existed in the Pentagon as it tried that with the F35 Joint Strike Fighter.
But each branch needed different performance and features for their aircraft which ended up making three different versions of the plane instead of a "joint" vehicle.
The attempt to create a universal combat aircraft for the Navy, Marines and Air Force caused cost over-runs so badly that the military tried to kill the program. But as you note in your article- Congress-people fought to keep the program because it was a JOBS program for their districts.
I was recently reading this great book: “the long hard road : lithium ion battery and the electric car.” and not surprisedly Musk’s name only appears in one chapter. He wasn’t a founder of Tesla but he did end up firing one of the founders. The other two founders eventually left the company.
Musk may not even have the industry job, or at least one of them, since resentful consumers are getting to the point of driving Tesla to bankruptcy.
I submit that Musk lacks the “disciplined thinking” of Electric Charlie and Engine Charlie.