It takes 400 companies >2 years to build a Patriot missile. Perhaps this is why USA suddenly gave up in Iran.
Incompetent manufacturing will cause us to lose future wars too. Boom is building vertically integrated factories that can do in 24h what otherwise takes years. 馃У
We need missile defense startups taking a similar approach. It should be possible to speed run a new design anti-ballistic missile in the time it takes Lockheed to make a single unit.
This is great for turbines and jet engines鈥攁nd it's also what we desperately need in the defense manufacturing base.
While Boom is focused on turbines and jets, we'd gladly lend support and advice to any credible startup working to do this. The free world depends on fixing America's defense base.
LFG
We need missile defense startups taking a similar approach. It should be possible to speed run a new design anti-ballistic missile in the time it takes Lockheed to make a single unit.
Aerospace has a Congressionally-optimized supply chain. America's defense companies spread out production between mom and pop shops across the country, with one baby factory in every Congressional district鈥攕o they can get the votes for their fat programs.
It takes 400 companies >2 years to build a Patriot missile. Perhaps this is why USA suddenly gave up in Iran.
Incompetent manufacturing will cause us to lose future wars too. Boom is building vertically integrated factories that can do in 24h what otherwise takes years. 馃У
This creates costs and delays. For example, an engine component that takes ~3 days across a handful of processes, takes 9 months to obtain鈥攂ecause the part spends more time on trucks than on machines, winding its way back and forth between baby factories.
Aerospace has a Congressionally-optimized supply chain. America's defense companies spread out production between mom and pop shops across the country, with one baby factory in every Congressional district鈥攕o they can get the votes for their fat programs.
We call this Slacker Index鈥攖he time required to get a part divided by the time required to get from the the supply chain.
As one example, inertial welding a turbine shaft takes ~minutes. Standard supply base quoted us 88 weeks鈥擲lacker Index well over 100,000.
This creates costs and delays. For example, an engine component that takes ~3 days across a handful of processes, takes 9 months to obtain鈥攂ecause the part spends more time on trucks than on machines, winding its way back and forth between baby factories.
This is why everything we're building at Boom is designed for speed鈥攕peed of manufacturing, speed of iteration.
We are building a state of the art factory where engineering and manufacturing are in one building鈥攚here we can go from idea to part in <24 hours.
When it takes months or years to do something, it's not possible to iterate. Designs must be one-shotted, meaning analysis paralysis because the cost of rework is so high.
When lead times are short, iteration becomes possible. Speed begets speed, and speed begets improvement.
The remedy is simple: build factories that go from raw materials to completed products under one roof, with every production process and QA in one place. This shortens lead times from years to weeks鈥攁nd sometimes to days, hours, or even minutes.
Worse, many of the supply contracts are based on cost-plus contracting, where suppliers make a fixed percentage profit on dollars spent. In this model, the only way to increase profits is to drive up costs. Inefficiency and incompetence pays.
When it takes months or years to do something, it's not possible to iterate. Designs must be one-shotted, meaning analysis paralysis because the cost of rework is so high.
When lead times are short, iteration becomes possible. Speed begets speed, and speed begets improvement.
The remedy is simple: build factories that go from raw materials to completed products under one roof, with every production process and QA in one place. This shortens lead times from years to weeks鈥攁nd sometimes to days, hours, or even minutes.
This is great for turbines and jet engines鈥攁nd it's also what we desperately need in the defense manufacturing base.
This is why everything we're building at Boom is designed for speed鈥攕peed of manufacturing, speed of iteration.
We are building a state of the art factory where engineering and manufacturing are in one building鈥攚here we can go from idea to part in <24 hours.
It takes 400 companies >2 years to build a Patriot missile. Perhaps this is why USA suddenly gave up in Iran.
Incompetent manufacturing will cause us to lose future wars too. Boom is building vertically integrated factories that can do in 24h what otherwise takes years. 馃У