You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Why is American military technology so advanced but its commercial technology isn't?
- Thread starter Ray D
- Start date
The US does make quality products and is capable of producing even better.
The problem is that consumers want cheap and fast, instead of high quality and lasting.
Since a product may become technologically obsolete in less than 2 years after it is produced, producing a product to such a high degree of workmanship that it lasts 20 years means that a still good device will be disposed of 15 years before its service life ends.
The Air Force is still using bombers built before their pilots were born. The Army uses many vehicles that are over 20 years old. They can do this because they were well designed, and are well maintained, and upgraded.
If your average person were given a car, stereo,or TV built in the sixties and it was still operating, they'd throw it out and buy new since they are outdated, and don't have the latest gadgets in them. If people refuse to maintain and use older products, why would a company spend the money to build them to last that long?
The problem is that consumers want cheap and fast, instead of high quality and lasting.
Since a product may become technologically obsolete in less than 2 years after it is produced, producing a product to such a high degree of workmanship that it lasts 20 years means that a still good device will be disposed of 15 years before its service life ends.
The Air Force is still using bombers built before their pilots were born. The Army uses many vehicles that are over 20 years old. They can do this because they were well designed, and are well maintained, and upgraded.
If your average person were given a car, stereo,or TV built in the sixties and it was still operating, they'd throw it out and buy new since they are outdated, and don't have the latest gadgets in them. If people refuse to maintain and use older products, why would a company spend the money to build them to last that long?
a lot of the US military tech is actually created and built first in other countries.
However only the US has the money to actually bring all these inventions into a single military.
for instance the ceramic armour used on the Abrams and Bradley's is actually a British invention and first used on british Tanks,
before the US brought the rights to manufacture it in the states for its own military.
since then the Brits have developed the armour even further and now have the latest versions of it on their challenger 2 tanks, (and 1 challenger 2 survived 5 direct hits from 2 Abrams during the gulf war, which shows you how tough that armour now is) this latest version the US are currently looking to buy for their next generation of Battle tanks.
A lot of the top of the range comms equipment was created in Japan and Korea,
But as i said only the US can afford to buy armour from the UK and comms from the far east, plus hundreds if not thousands of other bits and pieces of all over the world, no other country can afford to collect such a wide range of super advanced tech and buy it in such huge volumes.
another factor is the US military tech research and development companies get millions of dollars in funding from the US government, while non-military research and development companies have to rely on funding from other less rich sources.
However only the US has the money to actually bring all these inventions into a single military.
for instance the ceramic armour used on the Abrams and Bradley's is actually a British invention and first used on british Tanks,
before the US brought the rights to manufacture it in the states for its own military.
since then the Brits have developed the armour even further and now have the latest versions of it on their challenger 2 tanks, (and 1 challenger 2 survived 5 direct hits from 2 Abrams during the gulf war, which shows you how tough that armour now is) this latest version the US are currently looking to buy for their next generation of Battle tanks.
A lot of the top of the range comms equipment was created in Japan and Korea,
But as i said only the US can afford to buy armour from the UK and comms from the far east, plus hundreds if not thousands of other bits and pieces of all over the world, no other country can afford to collect such a wide range of super advanced tech and buy it in such huge volumes.
another factor is the US military tech research and development companies get millions of dollars in funding from the US government, while non-military research and development companies have to rely on funding from other less rich sources.