Originally Posted by
NutLoose
But once you go down the path of buying in, your own industry suffers and becomes a shadow of its former self.
The problem you have is that the military market for advanced electronics is tiny compared to the civilian market. This wasn't the case 50 years ago - MIL Spec made up a significant portion of the market, so sourcing MIL Spec electronics was fairly easy and they were routinely used in all aviation applications, not just military.
Today, the civilian market has exploded, and vendors simply can't be bothered with manufacturing MIL Spec in the thousands when they can produce civilian in the millions. As a result, most aviation and military applications use COTS electronics (commercial off the shelf). Yes, they are tested and screened to a higher standard than what's in your laptop or phone (especially the environmental envelope), but they come out of the same factory.
If there is a bright side to the whole COVID mess, it's that the resultant supply chain issues exposed just how vulnerable our industrial bases is when entire sections of the industry can be shut down by the non-availability of chips made in another country (especially when that country isn't exactly your best friend). US Congress recently passed a bill, dedicating hundreds of billions to restoring high-tech chip manufacturing capability onshore. Given the track record of our government, I suspect a large share of that will be wasted or lost to corruption, but at least it's a start.