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While watching Boom Supersonic conclude it's flight test regime with their XB-1 a thought occurred:
If Boom can do this, why can't Boeing?
Why can't Airbus?
Northup-Grumman?
LockMart?
Bueller? Bueller?
Listening to the founder talk about how long between new designs we are and slow iteration has gotten.
Maybe their way is the future. I hope so.
Same reason the only reasonable way into space is via SpaceX, whether it be unmanned or manned flight.
ReplyDeleteBoeing started Starliner before SpaceX's Dragon. Lockheed started Orion way way before SpaceX was even failing on Falcon 1. Yet both Starliner and Orion are deathtraps, while Dragon has a very good safety record.
And Boeing/Lockmart failed to innovate in launchers, too. So SpaceX has eaten their lunches and is dating their women.
Then there's that boondoggle called SLS, that is basically "Shuttle's Leftover Sh...tuff." No real innovation at all, no new stuff, just the same old same old repackaged at 3-4 billion per launch, minimum, probably more...
The issue is, the big legacy aerospace firms basically stopped innovating because they are just jobs programs for engineers and workers. Cost Plus projects that encourage the companies to dawdle and overspend because Uncle Sugar's going to pay no matter what.
Lawyers and government regulation / red tape. Small companies can get past a lot of inbred bureacracy.
ReplyDeleteAs to Airbus and Arianespace, their EU masters actually don't want innovation. As they see both and most other aerospace programs in the EU as jobs markets. They're not selling air or spacecraft, they're selling jobs.
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