Previous speakers have referred to the subcontractors being responsible for most unreliability. I feel therefore I must begin by pointing out that the electronics manufacturer merely designs equipment and assembles components from sub-contractors. Nevertheless we do take the responsibility for our products.

In the post-war period there have been continuous and rapid advances in the design of aircraft. To take full advantage of the higher performance and increasing speeds offered to them, the airlines of the world have demanded smaller and lighter electronic equipment providing, at the same time, more and more facilities. The rapid increase in traffic, the higher speeds of aircraft operation and the introduction of pilot-controlled communications have demanded more complex equipment and the electronics industry has met these requirements by continuous development of both components and equipment. It is a tribute to the industry that the present day equipments, although vastly more complex, are smaller, lighter and no less reliable than their counterparts of ten years ago.