[ceejayoz]

The UK isn't supporting Skylon "for the hell of it", either. Their taxpayers would likely be pretty happy to have the next Boeing/Airbus live on their soil.

[maxerickson]

I guess it's just a pet peeve of mine when people call a private, profitable financial arrangement a subsidy.

I complain about the usage for cell phones too.

[ceejayoz]

Both situations involve someone with money taking a bet on a currently non-profitable venture hoping it'll pay off in the future. SpaceX wasn't profitable when Musk put money in.

[pjc50]

Note that one of the partners is QinetiQ, the privatized wing of the UK defence research establishment. There's a strategic interest here too.