[Leica] Re: Longevity of military equipment

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Jun 13, 2006, at 9:11 PM, Don wrote:

> My analogy comes from the military.  As chips became more complicated 
> they
> started to design around readily available devices rather than custom
> designs.  Milspec does mean something as many military devices are 
> expected
> to remain in service for decades serviced be ninety day wonders.  So 
> designs
> are engineered around chips that will be around for awhile.

You are certainly right on this one. At least for mechanical devices. 
The B-52s that bombed Afghanistan entered service over 50 years ago. 
The Space Shuttle is over 25 years old. And you can still buy parts for 
WW2 Jeeps. The Bendix Corporation, a company that I worked for in the 
late 50s made a widely used aviation fuel pump. Those sold to the Air 
Force were packaged in hermetically sealed containers guaranteed to 
keep the pump in pristine condition almost indefinitely. I suspect that 
some are being used in the B-52s. Precision screws, bolts, springs, 
gears and other standardized mechanical parts have not changed as long 
as I can remember. Ken Ruth tells me that he can fabricate just about 
any mechanical part if you are willing to pay the custom machining 
price. The only parts of a Leica M or LTM body that cannot be 
economically duplicated are the body and cover castings. So if film is 
available, your old Leicas will be useable as long as most of us will 
live, and probably longer if you will them to your children. And even 
if film becomes obsolete, I expect that within a decade or less, the 
long expected and hoped for digital film surrogate, that 
will-of-the-wisp device that fits a digital sensor into the film plane 
and electronics into the cassette chamber, will be available.

If you do not believe me, just send me your old Leicas and I will be 
happy to dispose of them in an environmentally beneficial manner. ;-)

Larry Z