Research Brief
Innovation and Technological Leadership: Fifty Years of Competition in U.S. Aircraft R&D
Jan 1, 1999
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 7.7 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Format | List Price | Price | |
---|---|---|---|
Add to Cart | Paperback245 pages | $20.00 | $16.00 20% Web Discount |
Add to Cart | Hardcover245 pages | $35.00 | $28.00 20% Web Discount |
The proposition that innovation is critical in the cost-effective design and development of successful military aircraft is still subject to some debate. RAND research indicates that innovation is promoted by intense competition among three or more industry competitors. Given the critical policy importance of this issue in the current environment of drastic consolidation of the aerospace defense industry, the authors here examine the history of the major prime contractors in developing jet fighters since World War II. They make use of an extensive RAND database that includes nearly all jet fighters, fighter-attack aircraft, and bombers developed and flown by U.S. industry since 1945, as well as all related prototypes, modifications, upgrades, etc. The report concludes that (1) experience matters, because of the tendency to specialize and thus to develop system-specific expertise; (2) yet the most dramatic innovations and breakthroughs came from secondary or marginal players trying to compete with the industry leaders; and (3) dedicated military R&D conducted or directly funded by the U.S. government has been critical in the development of new higher-performance fighters and bombers.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
The 1920s to the 1950s: the Long Road Toward U.S. Leadership in Fighter R&D
Chapter Three
The Supersonic Revolution
Chapter Four
The 1960s and 1970s: Acquisition Reform, Doctrinal Ferment
Chapter Five
Revival of the Air-Superiority Fighter
Chapter Six
The 1970s to the 1990s: the Stealth Revolution
Chapter Seven
Concluding Observations
Appendix A
Database Description
Appendix B
Database
The research reported here was sponsored by the United States Air Force and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Monograph report series. The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.