Warfare Off the Shelf

Weapons purchased Off the Shelf are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to the current crop of high priced weaponry, and may eventually sound the death knell of the “military industrial complex”. Equipment such as the Stryker Combat vehicle, based on a Canadian LAV design, has been ordered and deployed in just a few years. This is in stark contrast to the decade’s long gestation period of the F/A-22 Raptor, and other Cold War era weapons.
Most recently the Army decided to cancel the gold plated Comanche helicopter, designed to fight the Warsaw Pact. In its place older model choppers will be bought or updated to fight the War on Terror. The Navy has seen what private industry can do with its Swift class catamarans utilized in Operation Iraqi Freedom. These were originally high speed ferries built by the Australian firm Austal. At $50 million each they are far cheaper than an Aegis destroyer or a nuclear carrier, and far more relevant in the new littoral environment which the Navy is fighting. The Air Force contingency plan in case it loses the Raptor is to purchase 100 F-15 fighters off the shelf.
The best thing about purchasing off the shelf is that it saves billions in procurement and is often much cheaper than purpose built weaponry. It may also work as well or better than the equipment it replaces.