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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This is a report of work sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under grant number F49620-99-1-0338 between the Department of Defense and the National Academy of Sciences. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research or the U.S. Government.
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COMMITTEE ON THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. AEROSPACE INFRASTRUCTURE AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE AIR FORCE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
ROBERT R.EVERETT, Chair,
MITRE Corporation (retired), Concord, Massachusetts
GORDON R.ENGLAND, Vice Chair,
General Dynamics Corporation, Falls Church, Virginia (from September 1999 to May 2001)
KYLE T.ALFRIEND,
Texas A&M University, College Station
OLIVER C.BOILEAU, JR., Consultant,
Saratoga, Wyoming
MICHAEL P.C.CARNS,
U.S. Air Force (retired), Center for Political Economy, Pebble Beach, California
RAYMOND S.COLLADAY,
RC Space Enterprises, Inc., Golden, Colorado
JOHN W.DOUGLASS,
Aerospace Industries Association of America, Inc., Washington, D.C.
ROBERT B.ORMSBY, JR.,
Lockheed Aeronautical Group Systems (retired), Roswell, Georgia
GEORGE A.PAULIKAS,
Aerospace Corporation (retired), Los Angeles, California
THOMAS M.PERDUE, Consultant,
Alexandria, Virginia
WINFRED M.PHILLIPS,
University of Florida, Gainesville
HERMAN M.REININGA,
Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
ELI RESHOTKO,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
MICHAEL D.RICH,
RAND, Santa Monica, California
HAROLD W.SORENSON,
MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Massachusetts
Liaisons from the Air Force Science and Technology Board
ROBERT A.FUHRMAN,
Lockheed Corporation (retired), Pebble Beach, California
JOHN MICHAEL LOH,
U.S. Air Force (retired), Consultant, Williamsburg, Virginia
Liaison from the Board on Army Science and Technology
ALLEN C.WARD,
Ward Synthesis, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Staff
BRUCE A.BRAUN, Director
JAMES E.KILLIAN, Study Director (from December 2000)
JAMES D.RENDLEMAN, Study Director (from September 1999 to October 2000)
LINDA D.VOSS, Consultant
JAMES MYSKA, Research Associate
PAMELA A.LEWIS, Senior Project Assistant (from January 2001)
ANDRE MORROW, Senior Project Assistant (from September 1999 to January 2001)
AIR FORCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD
ROBERT A.FUHRMAN, Chair,
Lockheed Corporation (retired), Pebble Beach, California
ANTHONY J.BURSHNICK,
U.S. Air Force (retired), Springfield, Virginia
LYNN CONWAY,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
WILLIAM H.CRABTREE, Consultant,
Cincinnati, Ohio
EARL H.DOWELL,
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
ALAN H.EPSTEIN,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
ALFRED B.GSCHWENDTNER,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
ROBERT G.LOEWY,
Georgia Institute of Technology School of Aerospace Engineering, Atlanta
JOHN MICHAEL LOH,
U.S. Air Force (retired), Williamsburg, Virginia
NOEL LONGUEMARE,
Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology (retired), Ellicott City, Maryland
THOMAS S.MOORMAN, JR.,
U.S. Air Force (retired), McLean, Virginia
BRADFORD W.PARKINSON,
Stanford University, Stanford, California
RICHARD R.PAUL,
Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington
ELI RESHOTKO,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
ALTON D.ROMIG,
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Staff
BRUCE A.BRAUN, Director
MICHAEL A.CLARKE, Associate Director
CHRIS JONES, Financial Associate
WILLIAM E.CAMPBELL, Administrative Coordinator
GWEN ROBEY, Senior Project Assistant
DEANNA SPARGER, Senior Project Assistant
Preface
The uncertainty of the threats faced by the military since the end of the Cold War is mirrored by uncertainties in the national defense aerospace infrastructure. The aerospace industry has undergone a significant restructuring in the last 20 years, a dramatic consolidation to adjust to the declining defense investment. In the 1980s, aerospace was a major U.S. economic sector dominated by defense spending. In the 1990s, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) accounted for only 28 percent of aerospace sales.
These changes raise questions about the future. The Air Force is concerned about having available and attracting the creative, skilled work force it will take to implement its military mission. The change in the environment supporting the defense aerospace infrastructure has also changed the relationship between the military and industry.
The committee was asked to identify problems facing different sectors of the defense infrastructure and how the Air Force could ensure its ability to attract the best and brightest to produce the leading-edge technology upon which its weapons systems rely.
To determine the scope of its study, the committee consulted with representatives of academia and visited representatives of the Air Force, Navy, DoD, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and other government agencies. To learn more about issues related to the physical test and development infrastructure, a fact-finding team visited the Arnold Engineering Development Center and received briefings about the work force, budget, policy, and facilities. Industry representatives made presentations on work force issues, business opportunities and goals, facilities, and financial challenges. In the end, the committee focused its attention on the issues most important for the primary client of the defense aerospace infrastructure, the Air Force.
Recommendations are focused on how Air Force senior management can compete for skilled technical personnel, sustain high-quality scientific and technical resources, and reform industrial policy to adapt to the changes in the industry.
The committee greatly appreciates the support and assistance of National Research Council staff members James Killian, Pamela Lewis, and Carol Arenberg and consultant Linda Voss in the production of this report.
Robert R.Everett, Chair
Committee on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Infrastructure and Aerospace Engineering
Disciplines to Meet the Needs of the Air Force and the Department of Defense
Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. The committee wishes to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Henry P.Arnold, BF Goodrich Aerospace
William C.Bowes, USN (retired), Litton Integrated Systems
Natalie W.Crawford, RAND
Earl H.Dowell, Duke University
David Heebner, Heebner Associates
R.Richard Heppe, Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company
Peter B.Teets, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)
Brian Wright, Rockwell Collins
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Alton Slay, appointed by the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, and William Howard, appointed by the NRC’s Report Review Committee, who were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Tables and Figures
TABLES
3–1 |
Decline in Fixed-Wing, Manned, Combat Aircraft Programs, |
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3–2 |
Boeing Life-cycle Support, |
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3–3 |
Funding by Federal Agencies to Universities for Aeronautical and Astronautical Research (in millions of constant FY01 dollars), |
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3–4 |
Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded from 1991 to 2000, |
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3–5 |
Projected Job Growth in Engineering Fields (in thousands), |
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4–1 |
U.S. Aerospace Industry Sales in the United States (in millions of constant FY01 dollars), |
FIGURES
Acronyms and Abbreviations
ABL
airborne laser
AEDC
Arnold Engineering Development Center
AFB
Air Force Base
AFIT
Air Force Institute of Technology
AFMC
Air Force Materiel Command
AFRL
Air Force Research Laboratory
CAS
cost-accounting standards
CEO
chief executive officer
CFD
computational fluid dynamics
COTS
commercial off-the-shelf
DARPA
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
DASA
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace
DCS
deputy chief of staff
DoD
U.S. Department of Defense
DSB
Defense Science Board
EMD
engineering and manufacturing development
FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
FAR
Federal Acquisition Regulations
FFRDC
Federally Funded Research and Development Center
FSA
Future Strike Aircraft
FY
fiscal year
GOCO
government-owned, contractor-operated
GPS
global positioning system
IHPTET
Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology
IR&D
independent research and development
ITAR
International Traffic in Arms Regulations
JPL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
JSF
Joint Strike Fighter
LAI
Lean Aerospace Initiative
Mil-Spec
military specification
MOSA
modular open systems architecture
NAE
National Academy of Engineering
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NMD
National Missile Defense
NRC
National Research Council
O&M
operations and maintenance
ODTC
Office of Defense Trade Controls
OPM
Office of Personnel Management
OSD
Office of the Secretary of Defense
QDR
Quadrennial Defense Review
R&D
research and development
RDT&E
research, development, test, and evaluation
RLV
reusable launch vehicle
ROI
return on investment
S&T
science and technology
SBL
Space-Based Laser
TINA
Truth in Negotiations Act
UAV
unmanned air vehicle
UCAV
unmanned combat air vehicle
USAF
U.S. Air Force