Britain buys semiconductor factory to secure supply for military

LONDON: The British government has bought a struggling factory from the U.S. firm Coherent Inc. to secure domestic manufacture of gallium arsenide semiconductors, used in military technology including fighter jets.

The government said on Friday that the plant in Newton Aycliffe in northern England was the only secure domestic manufacturer of the semiconductors.

It said the purchase, which sources valued at 20 million pounds ($27 million), would preserve 100 skilled jobs.