DoD: Parts producers disappearing

Suppliers of parts critical to the design and manufacture of next-generation combat aircraft are withering away because of the lack of consistent work to keep them in business, according to the May 2019 Industrial Capabilities report on the industrial base. The report warns follow up on a study from last fall that sounded an alarm that domestic producers of some defense-critical products are next to zero, compelling America to rely on foreign suppliers. The Defense Department has suggested several steps that may make a difference in preserving capacity in some key sectors, including laws to rein in counterfeit parts and lifting restrictions on exports. The May report required by Congress – but only released in mid-June - finds that current modernization programs don’t “provide enough opportunities to maintain skills to dominate major design and next-generation development work.” The report says that a coming fivre-to-seven year lull in designing new combat aircraft will greatly worsen the problem, which will be further exacerbated by a coming wave of specialized aerospace worker retirements, and lead to “a shortage of critical design capabilities,” the Pentagon warned. … And it’s not just the Big 6 defense contractors. (Source: Air Force Magazine 06/28/19)