How Sandia hopes to accelerate US hypersonic weapons development

The US government's hypersonic weapons programs may have been lagging behind international rivals, but at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico, there's a plan to accelerate the process by opening its doors to hundreds of contractors who've previously not been allowed inside the secure facility. What could possibly go wrong …

[elDog]

This is SOP. The government contracts with lots of small/medium/large companies

SOP - Standard Operating Procedure

It is totally normal for the US to contract out much of its R&D and most of the production. The thrust of this breathless article seems to imply that there is DANGER in doing this.

Yes, the sensitive information needs to be protected but that is true whether for a government employee (military service or otherwise) or civilian contractor.

[pinkmouse]

You may want to watch Perun's excellent presentation on YouTube on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n3fjoacL20

[slimshady76]

I'd say they should use watermelons.

[Tom 7]

They'd get about 10 meters from the 'barrel' before vaporising. if they hadnt already before leaving it. Now if you froze them first...

[slimshady76]

For context, Sandia means watermelon in Spanish.

Mine is the one with the Kool-Aid pouch in the inner pocket.

[cookieMonster]

Bullshit

“ [That's] a time scale that was very hard to meet," Nance said.”

The SR-71 was done in less that that

You need more engineers, less marketing, PR, manglement, diversity managers and an empowered leader with a spine.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Bullshit

And much, much less of spreading the project"in the right congressional district[s] for further funding".

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Bullshit

But everyone knows that its the pork barrels that get things done

[TeeCee]

Re: Bullshit

Yes, but the SR-71 was merely a rework of the existing A-12 "Oxcart".

It only looks like it had a short development cycle, because the A-12 was still classified until quite recently. You really need to add the five years of A-12 development, from 1962 until it entered service in 1967, to get the full development cycle for the SR-71.

I'm sure that if the US military had an existing, working, air breathing hypersonic missile to start with, this program would have delivered an upgrade by now.

[s. pam]

All it takes is a slide rule and a pocket protector!

My dad worked on the SR-71 and before that the B-58 Hustler.

Both supersonic, both designed with a slide rule by guys wearing pocket protectors and horn rimmed glasses.

More != better