Amidst global downturn, Weapons giants thrives!

[rasmasyean]

This the world we live in today. Prepare for battle!
Discuss… :)

General Dynamics Sees Profits Rise Despite Gulfstream Woes.

The AP (http://links.mkt751.com/ctt?kn=8&m=4048619&r=MTU4OTU3NDY4MgS2&b=0&j=MTE2MDc3MjIxS0&mt=1&rt=0) (4/29) reported, "General Dynamics Corp.'s first-quarter earnings rose 3 percent, beating Wall Street expectations, as sales of warships and other military equipment made up for lower profits from business jets." The company's jump in profits is attributed to "healthy demand for its tanks, submarines and ships," while "its Gulfstream corporate jet business has grown steadily weaker as the global economic downturn hurts air travel."
The Wall Street Journal (http://links.mkt751.com/ctt?kn=73&m=4048619&r=MTU4OTU3NDY4MgS2&b=0&j=MTE2MDc3MjIxS0&mt=1&rt=0) (4/30, B3, Cole, subscription required) reports that Gulfstream "reported a 14% rise in revenue to $1.46 billion as the acquisition of an airplane maintenance and services firm kicked in;" however, "the segment's operating profit fell, by 15% to $200 million, making it [General Dynamic's] only division with lower earnings." Nicholas Chabraja, Generals Dynamics' CEO, said "the unit prospects have improved since February, however," as "jet buyers are returning...with some attracted to lower prices and willing to lose customization options in order to take the place of a previous customer." He also noted that "a new Gulfstream model will fly by year end." Bloomberg News (http://links.mkt751.com/ctt?kn=7&m=4048619&r=MTU4OTU3NDY4MgS2&b=0&j=MTE2MDc3MjIxS0&mt=1&rt=0) (4/29, Lococo) also covered the story.

[MikeTheC]

Hooray for war-time profiteering! Yay!

</sarcasm>

Now, here's my question. Obama's going to pull us out of all these conflicts, right? So will that mean GD will need to declare bankruptcy and get bought up by the Government, too?

[skunk]

Now, here's my question. Obama's going to pull us out of all these conflicts, right?Which conflicts? :confused:

[MikeTheC]

Which conflicts? :confused:
Iraq, Afghanistan... I dunno, does it matter? We're going to be one big, happy, all-inclusive country.

Just... how many unemployed people does it take before it's wrong?

[skunk]

Iraq, Afghanistan... I dunno, does it matter? I dunno. Only insofar as your post bears any relation to reality. Afghanistan is ramping up, Iraq is staying much the same for some time.

[rasmasyean]

Dont' forget Iran.

And Afghanistan and Iraq...
Even if we pull out of there a little bit, we'll still be selling them weapons to arm the present government since we destroyed all their stock. If we withdraw any troops, I think we will still have a presense there in UAVs, UGVs in the future (prolly some already there by secret), and other "small units" with a big punch. At this point those places are a proving ground for new technologies. If they work, the government (and whoever is "friendly") might buy some.

Check this out:
"Some combat pilots in Southwest Asia have referred to the hundreds of UAVs operating in the same airspace as “FOD [foreign object de- bris] in the sky."
http://www.aiaa.org/aerospace/images/articleimages/pdf/UAVs_APR2009.pdf

[FX120]

Great news.

[Desertrat]

Hey, folks like bang-toys, so somebody's gonna make'em. Chavez bought 100,000 AK-47s. North Korea is busy exporting Bad Stuff. Brazil has a thriving arms production effort going. German firms are in on the action. Russian sales have been a major source of hard currencies. China's not just keeping her own toys at home, for that matter.

And somebody's making the stuff that Iran supplies to the Palestinians to use against Israel...

One problem the US faces is that we sell crap to "allies". Fine. Then there is some regime change and the next thing we know, we're getting shot at with stuff we sold to begin with.

And the stuff we leave behind gets "re-cycled". Some of the M-16s used by the drug-producing folks came from sales to them by the Vietnamese government.

[rasmasyean]

More "allies"...er "customers".... :p
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30587868#30587868

[Sehnsucht]

Iraq, Afghanistan... I dunno, does it matter? We're going to be one big, happy, all-inclusive country.

Just... how many unemployed people does it take before it's wrong?

Obama was supposed to end the occupation of Iraq "on my first day in office." Bwahahaha, that was a good one. :D I didn't vote for him, or the Other Guy either, but I knew Obama wouldn't. It makes no sense. It's impossible. And he knew it. :eek:

As a side note, I'm pissed because next year after I turn 21, I was planning on buying a handgun and obtaining a concealed-carry permit. But all the rednecks have already stormed to every place that sells ammunition in this state and bought up every last measly round, leaving the shelves bare. It's ridiculous. :mad:

[Counterfit]

Obama was supposed to end the occupation of Iraq "on my first day in office." Bwahahaha, that was a good one

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not how he said it.

[hulugu]

Hey, folks like bang-toys, so somebody's gonna make'em. Chavez bought 100,000 AK-47s. North Korea is busy exporting Bad Stuff. Brazil has a thriving arms production effort going. German firms are in on the action. Russian sales have been a major source of hard currencies. China's not just keeping her own toys at home, for that matter.

And somebody's making the stuff that Iran supplies to the Palestinians to use against Israel...

The Israelis are buys building their own toys and selling it to the arms market as well.

One problem the US faces is that we sell crap to "allies". Fine. Then there is some regime change and the next thing we know, we're getting shot at with stuff we sold to begin with.

That's why you have engineers steal or break all the important parts just before they leave. This worked on the F-14s the Iranians ended up with after the 1979 Revolution.