Analysis of Foreign Source Dependence for Critical Microcircuits of USAF Avionics Components

摘要

This thesis attempted to investigate the Air Force's dependency on foreign sources for the procurement of microcircuits used in avionics systems. The research was divided into two segments: a particular sample of microcircuits was analyzed to determine which microcircuits were procured directly from a foreign source and then determine the criticality of those foreign manufactured microcircuits; the second segment consisted of interviews with government officials, microcircuit suppliers/vendors, and manufacturing representatives to obtain their opinions as to the extent of U.S. dependency on foreign sources for the manufacture of ceramic dual-in-line microcircuits. It was discovered that the current method used by the Defense Electronics Supply Center and AFLC's Cataloging and Standardizations Center to identify foreign manufactured micorcircuits greatly understates this country's dependency on foreign sources for microcircuits. It was concluded that more effort should be expended by the Department of Defense to determine the actual capability of onshore manufacturers and to attempt to get manufacturers to move back onshore.