Originally Posted by
DogTailRed2
An ignorant and very trite response. Having made something does not confirm we have the capability to produce them now.
Complex weapons are not easy to manufacture especially when production volumes are in the low thousands. There is a real issue with obsolescence when orders stop and production ceases but the march of technology continues. Most systems use just-in-time supply chains and hence starting these up is pretty much impossible once the lines are closed and machine tools etc. are scrapped. Then there is a small problem with skilled staff who are transferred onto other production tasks or simply laid off. So to answer, manufacturing had not stopped for the latest new products but once production ceases for that product it's very difficult or near impossible to restart.