
Cancer is very dumb, by any metric I can possibly imagine:
- it literally lacks any mechanism for intellect/processing information
- it is a random mutation that renders affected cells dysfunctional
- it has no mechanism to spread to another host, yet still kills the host it has
- it has four different ways that it might just kill itself
This only makes the metaphor all the more apt. Intelligent foes are far less dangerous. You have to be exceedingly dumb to choose mutually assured destruction.
I have no expertise in military technology and cannot speak to the superiority of F-35s, the magnitude of their tactical advantage, nor the factors that justify or mitigate their operating cost. But the auxiliary benefits of buying into Saab’s ecosystem are accumulating into quite the stack. Given that our military strength is somewhat predicated on economic strength, I like seeing us take a path that grows both. The latter pays dividends even if we fight no real wars nor avert any theoretical ones.
And ultimately, Lockheed Martin’s technological advantage is built on capital investment and mindshare. With sufficient resources consolidating elsewhere, that can be eventually rivaled. Even before that point, we’re looking at facing rivals with lesser tech than the Gripen, or rivals that control the F-35 program and its supply lines. The upsides are just too context-sensitive.