[akiselev]

It's a supersonic air superiority jet. The amount of energy needed and heat generated is a rounding error compared to the heat from supersonic flight and the powerplant's output (base fuel burn of thousands of lbs an hour).

In the case of war birds, newer technology does not mean faster development time. In order to qualify electronics for a weapon that needs to be stealthy and resistant to electronic warfare you need decades of operational data on all of the major electronics components. Any system that gets upgraded to newer technology has to go through risk assessments and that often requires tons of data collection before you even get started.

[magduf]

OK, but where are you going to find engineers with experience in those archaic technologies? And stuff breaks; where are you going to find equipment to replace it? The industry has moved on and is no longer making stuff like core memory, so you may not be able to acquire it even if you are willing to spend a lot.

[akiselev]

We literally spend tens of billions of dollars a year keeping a significant fraction of the domestic agricultural industry afloat in the name of national security. We do the same with energy, oil, raw materials, and pretty much anything logistically critical in a war.

I think you vastly underestimate the lengths our military industrial complex goes to protect operational capabilities. The F22 is as much a beneficiary of those technologies as a platform for keeping them alive for future use.

[somatic]

If our military-industrial complex is so concerned with protecting operational capabilities, then why have they facilitated the offshoring of industries to China, especially industries concerned with the manufacture of some of the world’s highest technology? Shenzhen literally has skyscrapers of high electronics logistical heaven; in America we spend billions of dollars on fuck-all software and can’t repair broken consumer electronics circuitboards.

[magduf]

The military-industrial complex will throw money at things, but only in stupid ways. Are they creating jobs paying $500k for engineers to work in this sector and keep them interested in this kind of work and these ancient technologies? Of course not. So where do you think they're going to find the talent needed?

Feel free to apply for some jobs in the defense sector to find out how much they pay. You'll make more money working at FAANG companies, and you don't have to wait years for a security clearance to be approved. Jobs in aerospace, in particular, are pretty lousy paying compared to what engineers are getting elsewhere.

[burfog]

Right, we should all work for FAANG companies. Likewise, why wouldn't any person who loves sports work for the NBA instead of as a gym teacher?

You'll make more money working as an NBA player, and you don't have to wait years for a teaching certificate to be approved. Jobs in schools, in particular, are pretty lousy paying compared to what sports lovers are getting elsewhere.

The fact that FAANG companies employ about 0.1% of the software developers could have something to do with this. Practically speaking, nobody works for the NBA or for a FAANG company.

So it is a silly comparison. Defense contractors can and do beat plenty of normal companies. For example, Tesla pays software developers just $78k to $147k. Defense contractors can beat that before even adjusting for quality of life. You can work a 40-hour week, or you can have Elon Musk cracking the whip. The defense contractor positions are frequently in affordable locations, making the numbers a far better deal than they would appear.

[magduf]

>For example, Tesla pays software developers just $78k to $147k.

Citation needed. That seems suspiciously low for silicon valley.

>Likewise, why wouldn't any person who loves sports work for the NBA instead of as a gym teacher?

Your argument doesn't make much sense here. You trot out this line, but then you try to make the case that defense contractors pay well (which isn't really my experience; they pay OK (except for "cyber" positions which are paying really well currently), but nothing fantastic compared to non-defense companies in other non-silicon-valley areas), so it doesn't follow. Gym teacher jobs pay close to poverty-level wages, so accordingly, the people who take those jobs are usually people who aren't good athletes themselves, or maybe people who have a spouse with a good income and can afford to have a job for the fun of it.

[burfog]

It's not suspiciously low for silicon valley. It's just normal. Your perception is miscalibrated due to FAANG people bragging.

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Tesla_Motors/S...

It is improper to declare that any company outside the highest paying 0.1% is somehow not up to standard.

It is also improper to ignore working conditions. If you end up working 60-hour weeks for $180,000 the pay is no better than working 40-hour weeks for $120,000.

It is also improper to ignore cost of living. House prices can differ by a factor of 20, not even counting the collapsing locations. Just the difference between San Francisco and a medium-small non-coastal southern city is that much.