CaliforniaKarl
20 minutes ago
This makes me think of Jazz Semiconductor in Newport Beach. I think they’re Tower Semiconductor now, but I believe they’re still there, a small fab in SoCal that I assume is making obscure, important stuff.
Semiconductor Lifeline Keeps Fighter Jets in the Air
28 pointsposted 5 days ago
by rbanffy5 Comments
fmajid
an hour ago
It's surprising the DoD didn't require stockpiles of spares for every electronic component in these phenomenally expensive and long-lived weapon systems. This is after all the one arm of the Federal Government that is both good at logistics and planning, and was able to deliver frozen ice cream and other amenities to the most remote Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan.
chiph
an hour ago
They generally do stock parts. I was able to order a part when I was in the USAF for a near-obsolete machine (which still used core memory!) and it showed up within a week. Still in it's original EMP and environmental-proof packaging from the late 1960's.
Aircraft can get their service life extended a couple of times before they're parked for good (the B-52 is an extreme example). And the supply system eventually runs out. First of replaceable modules, then the boards, and now the chips.
egl2020
an hour ago
Nothing new under the sun: Strobe Data did this decades years ago for things like PDP-11s (http://www.strobedata.com/home/pioneer10.html) and DG Novas.
bear8642
an hour ago
> "[Phoenix] repackages off-the-shelf semiconductors into devices that are virtually identical to the phased-out chips."
I'm slightly surprised that _virtually_ identical chips are allowed. I expected truly identical chips to be required…