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The West forgot how to make things, now it’s forgetting how to code

The West Forgot How to Build. Now It's Forgetting Code

techtrenches.dev

April 26, 2026

8 min read

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68/100

Summary

In 2023, Raytheon’s president revealed that restarting Stinger missile production required bringing back engineers in their 70s to educate younger workers on using outdated paper schematics. Test equipment had been unused for years, and the nose cone was still manually attached, mirroring production methods from forty years prior.

Key Takeaways

Raytheon faced challenges restarting Stinger missile production due to a lack of experienced engineers, with some having to rely on blueprints from the 1970s.
The EU's promise to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024 fell short, with actual production capacity being only one-third of official claims.
The consolidation of the defense industry since 1993 has led to a significant reduction in workforce and created vulnerabilities in the ammunition supply chain, with single points of failure.
The shutdown of production facilities for critical materials, like Fogbank, resulted in a loss of knowledge and expertise, complicating efforts to reproduce essential components.

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

AI can reduce brain effort in certain domains, potentially freeing up cognitive resources for more complex tasks, which can enhance overall productivity.
Using AI tools for code review allows developers to maintain their skills while benefiting from automation, creating a balance between efficiency and personal growth.

Concerns

AI code generators often produce plausible but incorrect content, leading to frustration as developers must spend time identifying and correcting errors.
Dependence on AI for coding tasks can diminish critical thinking and problem-solving skills, raising concerns about the long-term impact on developers' abilities.