Types and classes
Types and classes posted in Spaceships & Vehicles forum comment posted by cobalt_phoenix Okay, that is really cool. I think they may be able to pull it off to at least some extent, since it is much easier to get a car prepped than a helicopter, and maintenance/operating costs are much lower.
Funny enough, though, you actually see the cost and build time for ships come up a lot when compared to aircraft and ground vehicles.
For example, a modern fighter like an F-22 or F-35 costs tens of millions of dollars and months to manufacture. During initial development, they build a number of these aircraft and test the hell out of them, knowing that the chance of any of them becoming actual deployable aircraft is basically nil. And that applies even to the fairly expensive F-22 and F-35, and even the B-2 and B-21 stealth bombers.
However, on the other side (and developed in about the same sort of timeframe) are the Virginia-class submarines and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Each costs as much as a squadron of those fighter aircraft to build (over 1 billion dollars each) and requires years to complete. They can't afford to build one, test it, and then scrap it, unless it is just not viable (which, if it is the design, would have been determined long before the ship was even ordered, or would result in significant investigations later if it was determined to be because of build/material quality).
And you see that as the standard for a very long time. Even in WWII, when the US industrial might was at full production, a single factory could churn out dozens of aircraft in a single day, but even the fastest shipyard was only cranking out a destroyer every few weeks, while larger ships (battleships and carriers) still required years. For reference, the first of the Essex-class began construction before the US entry (
Essex herself began development in the mid 1930s, was ordered in July 1940, had the keel laid in April 1941, launched in July 1942, commissioned in December 1942, and begin combat operations until 1943, which was actually incredibly fast for a fleet carrier).
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