Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military From: cmr@cvedc.Prime.Com (Chesley Reyburn) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Bat Plane Bux Message-ID: <13027@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 11 Jan 90 04:59:12 GMT References: <12850@cbnews.ATT.COM> <12934@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: Computervision Beaverton Oregon Lines: 55 Approved: military@att.att.com From: cmr@cvedc.Prime.Com (Chesley Reyburn) First of all, let me draw your attention to the fact that I published a FIRST APPROXIMATION of the cost. I also had to make some assumptions. Based on how the numbers came out I would say that my assumptions were not that far off. Admittedly, it was kind of flip on my part to use the DAC catalog, but again, the numbers seem to come together. My goal was to give a rational explanation for the cost. I think that I have made a good start. Another way of describing my results would be like this: Construction cost per airplane 133,000,000.00 Development cost per airplane 133,000,000.00 Profit per airplane 266,000,000.00 >In article <12850@cbnews.ATT.COM> cmr@cvedc.Prime.Com (Chesley Reyburn) writes: >>Herewith I submit my first approximation: >> >> know of would give some decent fudging. So I called Boeing > > Comparing the airframe of a 747 with that of a stealth bomber is >like comparing the 747 with a kite. The skin itself is at least >3 times as complex. Stealth technology incorporates a hexagonal >surface which by bouncing radar waves internally disipates the Didn't this class of skin get started on the B-70 (Valkyre) project? I thought also that the SR-71 also used a variant on this. Where did you get the multiplier of three? >> Computers > A Cray Y-MP. We just had one installed here last summer and it cost >over $20 million. It weighs about 9 tons, most of it involved A Cray Y-MP is exactly what I had in mind when I described two X-MPs. My technique was to plug in some quasi-rational number. In fact, the categories that I used were suggested by what I found in the catalogs. Our society posesses the ability to make something like a Y-MP in a bread-box. The incentive simply has not been shown to exist, yet. > I agree that it's price is greatly inflated, but not by a factor >of two. Also include all the high salaries of workers. Technological I DON'T KNOW if the price is inflated or not. I WANT to know but have no way other than rude guesses and this news group. Also, I don't think that I am overpaid, far from it. I don't work for a direct defense contractor, but I think that they don't pay much more. Chesley Reyburn ...tektronix!ogicse!cvedc!cmr ECAE Software, Prime Computer, Inc. ...sun!cvbnet!cvedc!cmr 14952 NW Greenbrier Parkway ...sequent!cvedc!cmr Beaverton, OR 97006-5733 Phone 503/645-2410