I don't know why anyone think this is silly or a bad idea. It allows hardware to be interchangeable, allows contractors to write easily testable and modular software, and produces less vendor lock-in. Fuck if I want Boeing to have some custom virtualization layer that only their shitty in-house custom code can run on.
Like, let's be real, there's going to be SOME virtualization layer. It's 2020. Being a well-known, many-eyeball OSS one is far better than the alternative.