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COMPETITIVE ASSESSMENT OF TECHNOLOGY 118 France National Office for Aerospace Research (O.N.E.R.A.) Eight wind tunnelsâ1,900 people (1980) Germany German Gas Dynamics Institute Seven wind tunnelsâ3,100 people (1980) Total population of these three research facilities is 12,300, which is over half that of NASA's total of 21,200. The number of individuals in equivalent aeronautics work compared with NASA's 3,240 is not known, but is thought to be larger because of NASA's heavy emphasis on space technology. The United States high-speed tunnels are superior to those in Europe; however, low-speed and transonic tunnels are judged to be about equal in capability. All of these facilities should be on a par in 10 to 15 years. The aeronautical technology in Japan lags far behind that of the United States. Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) supports national R&D, but it has few adequate facilities for aeronautical research. While Japan's aircraft manufacturing industry is also comparatively small by Western standards, national plans call for expansion by redeployments from ''maturing" industries, such as consumer electronics, shipbuilding, and autos. Japanese civil R&D is further viewed as handicapped because there are no domestic commercial avionics outlets and little military spinoff. However, national policies endorse direct government support for basic and high-risk experimental and generic research. Aspects of Japanese research are of interest in a dual-use sense, and the Japanese recently agreed to specific technology exports of this nature that would benefit the military establishment in the United States. Japanese technical development programs are coordinated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Employment In terms of major aerospace companies, the total employment of Airbus partner companies is roughly equivalent to that of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas combined (Figure 5-5). The United States figure is conservative because the Boeing and McDonnell Douglas numbers do not include the employees of the manufacturers of some major components built by others, whereas the Airbus numbers do. These figures include civil, military, and space-program personnel. Japan's big three companiesâIHI, Mitsubishi, and Kawasakiâhave an aerospace population of about 14,000, or slightly above half the Japanese total aerospace employment.
