“Program officials will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure to intercept the target,”
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Ya. I think they should investigate the lavish salaries and benefit packages of the overpaid and incompetent contractors
building this crap.
In one test it works.... and the next it doesn’t.... and then it does..... and then it doesn’t.....
And again. and again. and again.
What a waste of money. We’re just breastfeeding these leeching contractors with defense budget. And the Pentagon
mouth breathers go along with it to justify their jobs.
Ya. I think they should investigate the lavish salaries and benefit packages of the overpaid and incompetent contractors
building this crap.
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With that kind of negative attitude, nothing new would ever be built.
Thomas Edison tried ... hundreds? ... of times before he made a light bulb work.
You understand ....
The GBI specs I found on the web say it is traveling about 3.4 miles per second. The specs on an IRBM I found say it is moving about 3.1 miles per second. Assuming a nearly head-to-head engagement, that's a closing velocity on the order of 6 miles per second. That's a pretty good clip...
Were previous targets only short to medium range missiles? Maybe the closing velocities/geometries were more challenging this time? Maybe they were trying countermeasures on the target - and they worked.
Regarding your unfounded and unsupported characterization of the contractors working on the project(s)... Have you ever worked on a large defense contract? I have. I have worked both in the DoD and in the civilian/commercial world. In my experience, DoD and their contractor personnel work just as hard as their commercial counterparts, for about the same pay. The main difference I've seen has been working conditions - office space, technology, etc. There, the commercial world has it much better. Before you go bashing people (defense contractors) I suggest you walk a mile in their shoes.
As for the contractors doing missile defense work... Remember, these people are attempting something (and mostly succeeding) that a lot of smart people said was virtually impossible. Yet they are making it happen. Yes, not with a 100% success rate... Let's just hope the idiots in DC don't cut their funding: "Do a better job - with less resources!" Defense is one of the few things the government is doing that it actually has Constitutional authority to do.