I’m inclined to agree. Sierra’s weakness is that it has always subcontracted too much of its stuff to OldSpace outfits and that has slowed it a lot. The best example is that of having the main structure of Dream Chaser built by LockMart. The departed Vice, so far as I can tell as a casual observer, did nothing much toward doing more of Sierra’s work in-house.

AO1,

Interesting thought. Sierra’s owners would certainly have gotten to know Bruno pretty well while kicking ULA’s tires over the last couple of years.

But ULA has suffered from the same problem as has Sierra of over-reliance on sub-contractors for major components it lacks the capability of designing and making in-house. In ULA’s case that may well simply be a matter of Bruno’s limited maneuvering room given Boeing and LockMart’s history of treating ULA as a cash cow and not allowing it the funds needed to correct its internal deficiencies. In the case of Sierra the problem seems more organic. The Ozmens not only tapped LockMart to build, quite tardily, the main structure for Dream Chaser – echoing ULA’s difficulties with getting BE-4 engines from Blue Origin – but also took on its own role as a subcontractor for that very same Blue Origin on the Orbital Reef project about which Blue has also since dithered much and blown hot and cold. Perhaps Bruno – especially if Sierra actually bought ULA – could fill the gaps that have kept both companies from being as vertically integrated as it now seems plain they need to be to have any prayer of remaining viable going forward against competitors which are.