How 'bout a thread on the F-22 with no mud slinging, no axe grinding, no emotional diatribes, and just some clear, objective discussion?

Cost overruns by Northrop on B-2 as well as some scandal on parts
ordering on missile guidance systems for the Electronics Division
certainly muddied the political waters and may have cost Northrop some
points.

Would that be on the Peasekeeper's guidance system? ISTR hearing
about that back then.








Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

On Tue, 06 Jan 2004 19:21:38 GMT, Scott Ferrin
wrote:


Cost overruns by Northrop on B-2 as well as some scandal on parts
ordering on missile guidance systems for the Electronics Division
certainly muddied the political waters and may have cost Northrop some
points.

Would that be on the Peasekeeper's guidance system? ISTR hearing
about that back then.

Yep. The supply system was incredibly convoluted. For example, I had
one of two Mac II computers in the training section. I wanted some
off-the-shelf software (arcane stuff like MS Word). It took a purchase
order that required NINE signatures and more than six weeks.

Over in Electronics Div. they were up against production deadlines.
Some creative problem solver garnered petty cash and went open market
to buy the necessary materials. Production deliveries on time. When
the supply system deliveries came six weeks later, the excess material
got back-doored to the dumpster. Result was an investigation for
misuse of government....blah...blah...blah.

Had to swear to always use the most inefficient methods under penalty
of law for all future deliveries.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Ed Rasimus wrote:

Over in Electronics Div. they were up against production deadlines.
Some creative problem solver garnered petty cash and went open market
to buy the necessary materials. Production deliveries on time. When
the supply system deliveries came six weeks later, the excess material
got back-doored to the dumpster. Result was an investigation for
misuse of government....blah...blah...blah.

Had to swear to always use the most inefficient methods under penalty
of law for all future deliveries.

Ah, government supply chain...

Back in the early 1980s, I was working the flight line on F-4Es. We had
a nice little supply room, with all of the little hardware you'd
normally need. One of the pieces was a small rivet. Little bitty
aluminum rivets, less than 1/4" wide and maybe 3/8" long. I needed a
few one day, and got the chance to open a new bag (they were about 1000
per bag).

Those little rivets were about a buck each, according to the price
listed on the inventory sheet on the bag. Just under $1000 per bag of
1000 rivets, delivered to the base through the USAF supply chain.

That seemed like, well, a *lot*, so I checked up on it. In town, in a
hardware store, you could buy the same rivets (same manufacturer, same
serial number on the bag, same everything) for about $10 per bag of 1000.

I called the manufacturer. The difference, I was told, was because the
company had several full time employees who did nothing at all but
monitor their military sales (they were a sole-source supplier for that
bit, and didn't sell much else to the government). They were very
unhappy about it, too, since they would rather have just sold the things
for a decent price.

Some months later, I noticed the price on the bags in the bin had gone
down to only $50 or so per bag... I wonder who got the bonus for "cost
cutting" on that one?

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

"Chad Irby" wrote in message
. com...
Ed Rasimus wrote:

Over in Electronics Div. they were up against production deadlines.
Some creative problem solver garnered petty cash and went open market
to buy the necessary materials. Production deliveries on time. When
the supply system deliveries came six weeks later, the excess material
got back-doored to the dumpster. Result was an investigation for
misuse of government....blah...blah...blah.

Had to swear to always use the most inefficient methods under penalty
of law for all future deliveries.

Ah, government supply chain...

Nope, Northrop got caught delivering non-compliant guidance systems with
falsified records.

Back in the early 1980s, I was working the flight line on F-4Es. We had
a nice little supply room, with all of the little hardware you'd
normally need. One of the pieces was a small rivet. Little bitty
aluminum rivets, less than 1/4" wide and maybe 3/8" long. I needed a
few one day, and got the chance to open a new bag (they were about 1000
per bag).

Those little rivets were about a buck each, according to the price
listed on the inventory sheet on the bag. Just under $1000 per bag of
1000 rivets, delivered to the base through the USAF supply chain.

That seemed like, well, a *lot*, so I checked up on it. In town, in a
hardware store, you could buy the same rivets (same manufacturer, same
serial number on the bag, same everything) for about $10 per bag of 1000.

I called the manufacturer. The difference, I was told, was because the
company had several full time employees who did nothing at all but
monitor their military sales (they were a sole-source supplier for that
bit, and didn't sell much else to the government). They were very
unhappy about it, too, since they would rather have just sold the things
for a decent price.

Some months later, I noticed the price on the bags in the bin had gone
down to only $50 or so per bag... I wonder who got the bonus for "cost
cutting" on that one?


Look at it as a form of a full employment program. Jobs = happy people = votes
= happy politicians. Pay for a hokey job for someone or pay for their welfare
checks.

Actually, consider that fact the the "system"still supports a fleet of planes
worldwide and has done so for years relatively effectively, so it can't be all
bad.

Usually it is the exceptions and special orders that seem to get screwed up the
most.