How long would a US manufacturer need to produce new 16-inch naval guns?
Short answerA useful estimate requires a budget and a requirement for a dependable operational weapon. No firm manufacturing schedule is established.
NotesA production timescale cannot be separated from the money available and the standard the finished gun must meet. A weapon that merely looks credible is distinguished from one expected to function reliably. The suggested estimates range widely, with sixteen to twenty years offered for a gun expected to work and six to eight years for a less credible result. Those figures occur in a joking exchange and do not establish an engineering delivery schedule.