[News in War History] US Advanced F-22 Raptor Equipped with 1980s 'Old Semiconductor'... Radiation Particles More Fearsome than the Enemy

Most Advanced Weapons Used 1980s Semiconductors
Durability to Withstand Extreme Conditions More Important Than Chip Performance

Editor's Note[News in War History] is a content series created to provide multifaceted perspectives on the constantly evolving global news about wars and conflicts. Through 'News,' we first examine the current situation; through 'History,' we analyze the hidden meanings behind the news; and through 'Implication,' we offer insights into the near future. We come to you every Sunday and plan to publish a book after the 40th installment.

With the full-scale implementation of the United States' 'CHIPS and Science Act (CSA),' which is shaking the semiconductor industry worldwide including South Korea, attention is focused on what changes will occur across the industry in the future. The core of this legislation is known to be less about industrial semiconductors and more about protecting the supply chain of 'military semiconductors' directly linked to U.S. national security from adversarial countries such as China and Russia.

Currently, most of the key military semiconductors used by the U.S. and Western countries are custom-made in Taiwan, making it a top priority to protect this supply chain from threats posed by China. This is also why major semiconductor companies worldwide, including Taiwan's TSMC, are being encouraged to build factories within the United States.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Although the demand for military semiconductors today is far smaller compared to civilian demand, military semiconductors played a very significant role in the early history of semiconductors. In fact, it was during this process that computers, now essential to our daily lives, were born. In this installment, we will explore the world of military semiconductors, which are closely connected not only to weapons but also to our everyday lives.

◆News: Over 200 Companies Submit Letters of Intent for U.S. CSA... Concerns Over Russia's Circumvention of Export Restrictions

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Let's start with the news. According to The New York Times (NYT), on the 17th (local time), the Semiconductor Program Office under the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that more than 200 semiconductor-related companies have submitted letters of intent to apply for CSA subsidies.

The European Union (EU) promptly announced on the 18th a semiconductor support subsidy and investment bill worth 43 billion euros (approximately 62 trillion KRW), intensifying the competition to attract semiconductor factories. The reason Western countries such as the U.S. and Europe are rushing to offer support measures and attract semiconductor plants is analyzed to be due to both future industrial considerations and the immediate issue of military semiconductor supply.

Especially, due to international sanctions against Russia, it has become difficult for Russia to secure semiconductors and raw materials for production. Russia has been dismantling home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines in occupied Ukrainian territories to obtain semiconductors, making semiconductor stockpiling and supply chain security a top national security priority.

Currently, Russia, suffering from severe military semiconductor shortages due to sanctions, is reportedly continuing to secretly import U.S. and Western semiconductors through Central Asian countries and various indirect routes. According to CNBC, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK analyzed various weapons, including drones from Russia and Iran, and found that over 70% of the components and semiconductors were from the U.S. and Western countries.

The reason semiconductors have become increasingly important in modern warfare is that they are now indispensable in weapons ranging from fighter jets and tanks to major ballistic missiles and hypersonic missile launch systems. When did semiconductors become essential components of military weapons?

◆History 1: Semiconductors and Computers Born to Calculate Ballistics During World War II

The appearance of ENIAC, known as the world's first computer. [Image source=U.S. Army website]

In fact, in the 1940s when the early history of semiconductors began, most semiconductor demand came from the military sector rather than the civilian sector. This is because computers made using semiconductors were created during World War II to calculate the trajectories of shells and missiles.

The U.S.'s 'ENIAC,' commonly known as the world's first computer, stands for 'Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer' and was a ballistic calculator used by the U.S. Army in 1946. According to the Nanotech Museum of Tokyo Electric (TEL), ENIAC's production began in 1943 during World War II but was only completed in September 1945 and was not deployed in combat. It was later widely used for calculating trajectories of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and rockets.

ENIAC contained about 18,000 vacuum tubes, the predecessors of modern semiconductors. Vacuum tubes were developed in 1904 by John Ambrose Fleming, a renowned British electrical engineer and inventor. This marked the beginning of a new field called 'electrical engineering.'

The development of transistors and integrated circuits (ICs) was also closely linked to the advancement of military computers. During World War II, various computers emerged to calculate ballistics and decrypt enemy codes, so semiconductor demand was primarily for military supply. From the 1970s onward, semiconductor technology was transferred to civilian industries, and private companies began to lead semiconductor technological development.

◆History 2: The U.S. F-22 Fighter Jet Equipped with the 1980s-Developed i960

[Image source=Lockheed Martin website]

However, most semiconductors included in modern weapons such as fighter jets and tanks are actually older models developed in the 1980s. The U.S.'s pride, the stealth fighter F-22 Raptor, reportedly contains the i960MX semiconductor released by Intel in 1985.

Many older fighter jets and weapons use CPUs standardized by the U.S. military in 1980 under the 'MIL-STD-1750A' specification. This standard is based on 16-bit architecture, which is far behind the chips found in smartphones everyone carries today. Many semiconductors used in ballistic and interceptor missiles are also considered very outdated by current standards.

The reason older semiconductors, which do not even match the performance of those in smartphones or tablet PCs, are used as military semiconductors is that stability is far more important than processing power for military applications.

Especially for military semiconductors used in fighter jets and missiles, which often operate at the edge of or outside the atmosphere, exposure to radiation particles is frequent, increasing the likelihood of errors known as 'soft errors.' Therefore, stability is prioritized.

Because of this, military semiconductors are preferred to have long operational lifespans, low failure rates, and strong durability in special environments. This strengthening process is called 'radiation hardening.' To significantly enhance durability, some military semiconductors are made from materials more robust than silicon, such as sapphire.

◆Implication: Intensifying Conflicts Surrounding Taiwan, the Hub of Military Semiconductors

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Most of these military semiconductors are produced by Taiwan's TSMC. It is known that Western countries including the U.S. and Europe depend on Taiwan for over 90% of their military semiconductor supply.

With China's military provocations intensifying around the Taiwan Strait and repeated blockade drills being conducted, concerns are growing that military semiconductor import routes could be cut off. As a result, the semiconductor issue has escalated from a simple U.S.-China trade dispute to a global security problem. If China were to blockade the Taiwan Strait, the military semiconductor shortage currently faced by Russia could become a domestic issue rather than a distant problem.

Within and outside Taiwan, there is a theory called the 'Silicon Shield,' suggesting that Taiwan's military semiconductor production capacity will serve as a strong motivation for the U.S. and its allies to defend Taiwan in case of emergency. With TSMC recently building factories in the U.S. and Japan, concerns are rising that military tensions surrounding Taiwan's semiconductors will further escalate.