As I mentioned above, it was part of the COTS kick that DoD got in sometime in 1997. They decided having processing architectures (like the MIL-STD-1750A proce

As I mentioned above, it was part of the COTS kick that DoD got in sometime in 1997. They decided having processing architectures (like the MIL-STD-1750A processor) and a programming language that were basically used only by DoD programs was too expensive and made DoD programs too dependent on a shrinking number of suppliers. It also made recruiting and retaining engineers harder. It also promised to make system upgrades easier and reduce the number of systems that needed to be replaced wholesale. Thus, they decided to start mandating that programs use COTS hardware and software as much as feasible. C and C++ are the languages of choice for hard and firm real-time code. Java is popular for UI code, though C and C++ are still used on some older Solaris-based front-ends.