Milford chronicle., 1957-03-08
WEAPONS OF WAR ARE INCREASING
IN COST

Some years ago, wnen modern super wea-
pons were largely in the blueprint and re-
search stage of development, it was felt that
they might substantially cut the costs of pro-
viding an adequate national defense. That
feeling was based on the theory that the new
weapons would be so powerful that compar-
atively small number of them would be suff-
cient, and that permanent arsenal could
be created requiring minimum of manpoW-
er and upkeep.
This was pleasant prospect. Unhappily,
however, it hasn't happened-and, so far as
anyone can see now, it isn't going to happen.
u. S. News and World Report tells the
present-day arms story in a recent issue.
And it is story of "a fantastic rise" in costs.
The article starts out with the case of the
B-36-the great intercontinental bomber
which was the backbone of our defense for
the eight-year 1948-56 period This was
marvelously potent weapon, with a 10000
mile range and an overall performance be-
yond that of any known comparable plane.
We built 383 of these machines, and the cost,
including spare parts and engines and other
needs, came to $2,589, 100000.
Today this bomber is virtually obsolete.
u. S. News says that it g. :. is being scrap
ped, taken out of service as fast as replace
ments can be built" A, few will be used for
atomic-engine experiments The rest will
soon be good only for salvage.
It's place is being taken by the all-jet B-52
"a far superior machine on all counts.
These cost SO million each--more than twice
the cost of a B-36 And it is likely, before
many years go by, that the B-52 will grow
obsolete and worthless in turn.
The point is that in past eras weapons
normally lasted as long as 20 years. When
changes came they usually amounted to modi-
fcations only. Now weapons rarely last as
long as 10 years, and radical new types take
over.
All kinds of examples can be cited. The
F-86 jet, costing $250,000, was the mechani-
cal hero of the Korean War. 1t is being re-
placed by a new $640,000 model. When
World War II ended we had a great fleet of
800 million aircraft carriers. But they too
are going into retirement. The new super
carriers, such as the Forrestal, cost 5000 mil
lion. And coming types, atomically-driven,
will carry much higher price tag.
Intense work is being done on missiles,
TO take the place of certain present weapons
used by all three of the forces. These mis-
siles will soon be in large-scale production,
and they are almost unbelievably costly
several times as COSTLY in every case as the
weapons they will replace.
u. S. News covers the general situation in
these words: whats happening is a
major speed-up of the rate at which weapons
become obsolete, with nearly every new wea-
pom involving basic change that increases
costs in rising progression over the cost of
the weapon replaced. There is, moreover, ne
apparent end to this revolution in weapons
anywhere in sight" This is one of the grim
mer facts of life in world which seems to
have embarked on an arms race that knows
no limits. u S. News sums up by saying
"The result is a record for peacetime spend
ing for defense, planned at $38 billion for mil
itary outlays alone in the year ahead"