Wednesday, January 4, 2023

This Chart Explains Why The US Is Running Low On Missiles

Graphic: US Department of Defense  

Quartz: This chart explains why the US is running low on missiles  

American defense contractors can't keep pace as Ukraine drains stockpile. 

 It’s boom times for US defense contractors—and they can’t keep up with demand.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s military build-up have US lawmakers shelling out billions to buy new missiles, aircraft, tanks and helicopters to support allies and prepare for future conflict. Including the most recent tranche of funding passed in December, Congress has enacted about $110 billion in aid to Ukraine, about $40 billion of which will go toward weapons transfers and purchases. 

That’s putting stress on the makers of modern weaponry. Consider that some 1,600 Stinger missiles, used by individual soldiers to attack aircraft, were sent to Ukraine from American stockpiles, but the US stopped making them in 2003. Raytheon, its manufacturer, has restarted production, but doesn’t expect to deliver the weapons in large numbers for a year or more. 

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WNU Editor: It is very telling that in the 1990s there were 51 major US defense contractors. And today there are only 5.

5 comments:

Jac said...

And China knows all of that!

Anonymous said...

Sukhoi acquired MIG.

So what is your point?

A single corporation can have multiple factories, multiple lines or multiple shifts for any particular weapons system.

It has to do with legislative polices and corporate efficiencies or lack there of.

The priorities right now are pronouns, drag queens reading to children, drag queens putting burlesque shows for children, FBI investigating parents, getting children to get irreversible surgeries and chemical castration without their parents knowledge, ...

Weapons systems to defend not so much.

Anonymous said...

Yeah yeah whenever there's an acquisition the smaller company acquired loses a bit of its relevance. Happens in every industry. Instead of focusing on one specialty or weapons system its just one thing amongst many. Priority goes down.. less people involved, less focus, less investment depending on the "current trends/ market". In the end its too much for one company to manage

Anonymous said...

10:01 has not seen IBM's model

Amp1776 said...

Clinton, and other we dont need a military Democrats.