It seems to me that there may be some unduly optimistic assumptions about the availability and efficiency of the industrial base for building large artillery pieces. Granted the maturity of the technology it may be so mature as to be problematic. As a military history hobbyist it strikes me that artillery is not exactly the nimblest or most modernized section of the global defense industrial complex.
No one has built a large naval cannon (203 mm or above) since 1945. For land artillery most countries standardized on 203 or 240mm as maximum barrel diameter and subsequent development has traded off payload for increased range and accuracy (special shells can perform with the accuracy and range of missiles). The key resources for artillery construction are hardened steel and skilled industrial craftsmen, for which there is much competition in the durable goods areas of the global economy. Plus, this is defense procurement. All that says to me ... $$$$. ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- Fred Zimmerman Research Scientist ISciences LLC +1.734-214-9810 (office) +1.734-531-6062 (home office) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
