A high-level nuclear force has apparently been left behind in the tech stakes - because it's still using FLOPPY DISKS.
Department of Defence systems in the US which co-ordinate intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers and tanker support aircraft are still running on "an IBM Series-1 Computer - a 1970s computing system - and uses eight-inch floppy disks", according to a government report.
But it insists they're safe for purpose, claiming they "still work[s]".
The Government Accountability Office revealed that the Pentagon department was one of several where "legacy systems" are in urgent need of modernisation.
It said taxpayers spent $61bn (£41bn) annually on maintenance of such technologies, an estimated three times the amount spent on modern systems,reports the BBC.
But despite the report's claims, a Pentagon spokesperson says they're still in use because there's been no pressing need to change them.
"This system remains in use because, in short, it still works," Lt Col Valerie Henderson told AFP.
"However, to address obsolescence concerns, the floppy drives are scheduled to be replaced with secure digital devices by the end of 2017."
She added: "Modernisation across the entire Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications enterprise remains ongoing."
The Pentagon is set to fully replace the system by December 2020, claims the report.
The report also takes aim at the US treasury systems, which it claims is using "assembly language code - a computer language initially used in the 1950s and typically tied to the hardware for which it was developed".
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