"I think that the shootpacks are EXTREMELY important."
I considered them important to me to satisfy my questions..but how important are they to the army who is now interested in custom fibers instead of ds?..
"They are 1 of the 2 deliverables that KBLB needs to produce for the Army."
that's just it..does the army feel that need?..
"They are a "proof of concept" for KBLB in many ways."
yes..for kblb..and me...but what about the army?..
"They are supposed to show that spider silk has the properties that they say it has (stronger than steel, more flexible than Kevlar, can stop a bullet, etc)."
the army analyzed the fiber..they already know all about the properties of ds..imo, they already know ds is too flexible to properly stop a bullet..thats why they are now requesting a custom fiber with their specifications..
in other words, kblb got the army's attention with ds..the army is impressed enough with ds to release more money to obtain a custom fiber..their focus is now on custom fiber..why would they care so much about ds shootpacks when they already know they will not suffice as bullet proof vests..
the next logical step would have been hybrid materials..ds mixed with ms or Kevlar or jelly beans..if not for the fact that kblb could customize a fiber..that makes custom fiber the next logical step..
the army may revisit ds again at some point..but right now they are focused on custom fibers..which makes sense..
given that, how important are the ds shootpacks?..to me, very..to the army, probably not so much..
don't get caught up in kblb needing to complete a contract for the sake of the contract...the army is testing kblb's products..that is their purpose at this point..the army decides what is important..it is their money..
"They are supposed to show that KBLB can make a delivery date."
again..important to you and me..but to the army?..do you think they don't know kblb is a 2 man band with no money and kinda don't know what the hell they are doing?..the fact that the army was willing to fork over money to test ds was huge..the fact that they forked over 10 times more money for further testing of fibers should actually be telling people a lot more than it seems to be..
"In other words, they are supposed to build trust between KBLB and the Army, and show that KBLB is a real company (and not selling "snake oil").
the army tested ds fibers in their own labs and came away offering up more money for further testing..you think they don't know if its "snake oil"?...you think shootpacks will be the thing that proves its not snake oil?..
"In other words, they are supposed to build trust between KBLB and the Army"
the army doesn't "trust"..they pay you to do something..either you get it done or you don't..
"As you are suggesting, it is possible that Dragon Silk is not cutting edge any longer"
I never suggested any such thing..
"(and maybe KBLB has developed a "new and improved" fiber). There is no real evidence of that yet (especially since KBLB hasn't announced anything), but it is possible."
you might want to read the last pr..
"By producing a few sample DS shootpacks, they show the Army that they are capable of producing a product and bring an idea to conception."
no..that is what you want..
the army is interested in getting the right fiber and testing it and then having shootpacks made of it for further testing...not too sure they are all that interested in testing shootpacks that they already know will fail..it will only tell them what they already know?...and once failure happens, the Kevlar people will pounce all over that and try to get the ridiculous testing of spider silk stopped..and you will have a Vietnam situation right here in the U.S.
I say test the best product kblb can make..and then we will see..producing a product and bringing an idea to conception is a business problem..i don't think the army is concerned with that yet..they will be..just not yet..
"And those are the same questions that the Army has and would like to see answered."
I'm sure warwick has already answered them to the army's satisfaction..warwick knows if they can do it or not..if they say they can then they can..in which case the army is in no hurry to get them..if they say they cant, then Houston we have a problem..
again..lots of questions..no answers...as of yet..
"And since KBLB missed BOTH of their deadlines"
I'm not certain that they have..
"what do you think that says to the Army (and KBLB's shareholders)?"
it says that kblb is a tiny penny stock 2 man band with no money trying to get things done fast which is an almost impossible task..
things shareholders and the army already know..and rather than abandoning the project, the army is injecting more cash...what does that tell you?..
"There is no evidence that the shootpacks are "no longer a high priority"."
no..other than common sense..
"KBLB signed a contract with the Army. The base contract requires the delivery of shootpacks. The contract is the contract."
they were supposed to deliver them by a certain date..they didn't..the army gave them more time..
thus, "the contract is a contract" is a fallacy..
"If the Army receives the shootpacks and loves them"
the shootpacks will fail for ballistic purposes..we know that and so does the army..we do know that the army was impressed enough with the ds fiber to order custom fibers..we will see if they "love" them or just like them..
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