Some things never change!

[Nonskimmer]

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroo..._e.asp?id=1601

And this is what it all boils down to!

"Modernizing the CF-18 fleet will support an extended operational viability to at least 2017. This delays the need to acquire a replacement fighter aircraft while saving billions of dollars in the process."

[evangilder]

Sorry to say, but it looks like the same for the US Navy and Marine Corps. I sometimes wonder what our politicians are thinking as well as they develop all these friggin wonder weapons while our "air superiority" aircraft age even further. Oy!

[Nonskimmer]

I think in America's case the politicians feel that the existing equipment, if continually updated, is enough to handle just about any foe. Realistically, that's pretty much the truth. Research and development continues, so that when the wonder weapons are needed the designs are ready to go. The expertise is certainly there, and it's just a matter of getting production under way.

Canada doesn't have that luxury. We've long since lost much of our design and production expertise because of government short-sightedness and general ineptitude! Any expertise we do produce usually ends up south of the border, where the demand is. Not to mention the pay!

[trackend]

It,s always been about whos got the most money Skim if you pay more you get more Id say if anything the UK is even worse we have some of the finest Universitys in the world we turn out brilliant scientist's and engineers then off they go because no one gives them the backing or pay to progress their ideas and its been going on since the days of Frank Whittle.
Not only that but in terms of the armed forces even when something is produced thats crap like the SA80 the goverment big wigs wont dump them because of the effect on the voters jobs so its sod the poor old squaddie if he has to go into a fight with a gun that dont work everytime.
As my mate told me they ended up in the Gulf borrowing or buying desert boots from the US lads because all they had was the ammo boots issued from the TA. Infact he was still in his army greens until he went up to Basra.
PS like the sig skim

[delcyros]

That´s the way it is. Economy plays a major role, and buying is much cheaper than doing the R&D yourself. We have the same problem here in central europe: Between 15.000 and 20.000 people, which just left the University also leave the country each year because they don´t have a possibility to continue their projects here. Really sad.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Or just find jobs period, delycros.

[trackend]

Yes guys the reports I see on the news seem to show a large number of unemployed in Germany do you think that unification was the biggest reason for this increase or is there some other underlying factor?.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

From what I see over here in Germany it is the government fault as well as the damn Euro.

When the Euro went into effect the government shlashed the sallaries basically by half if you were earning 3000DM which would be about 1500 Euro you are now earning 1500DM or about 750Euro, while all they did was slash the DM on merchandise and goods. For instance if a loaf of bread used to cost 1.50DM it now costs 1.5 Euro which is about 3DM. Employers can not affored to hire people.

Another reason is the high amount of forigners that come into Germany. It is cheaper to hire the person from India or Turkey then to hire the German who just graduated from College. Many university graduates here in Germany can not find jobs in what they learned in such as Doctors and Computer Engineering because of this. It really is a shame.