Nice stuff, I was a Tech-Tel officer in the 60's(RCAF) and solid state was slowly penetrating the MIL-space, due to the huge waits for MIL part validation and approval - for want of a nail - a shoe was lost....
I can recall 10K 1/2W resistors in their own package with their own frame of a 16MM filmed x-ray enclosed as repair back stock.
Yes, audit trail was kept and maker and MIL accumulated reliability stats to add more 9's to the tail. Not sure how this persists in the surface mount era as most parts are nine nines reliable now - or more? I have to assume assembly stuff does a lot of real time test with beds of nails. I saw the old blackberry line, when it was scrapped out(after the fall) and every board was nailed and tested, fails = reworked or scrapped. Huge bins of all sub boards etc., in all parts of the process when they were closed = recycled for precious metals etc.
