Aerospace Plane Technology, Research and Development Efforts in Europe

Abstract

U.S. leadership and preeminence in the research and development of aerospace plane technologies are being challenged by European countries. U.S. leadership and preeminence are based on the National Aero-Space Plane Program. However, congressional supporters of the program are concerned about foreign competition to the program and its impact on U.S. technological leadership. As a result, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology asked GAO to identify indicators to measure foreign countries' current state of aerospace plane technological development and progress. These indicators are (1) space policies and aerospace goals and objectives; (2) aerospace plane program objectives, design goals, schedules, and costs; (3) the current status and rate of progress in the development of critical technologies; (4) the funding for and the number and type of people involved with the programs; (5) test facilities and their capabilities; and (6) the existence of and interest in international cooperation. The former Chairman also asked GAO to collect data and information on the indicators.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 25, 1991
Accession Number
ADA241102

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Boundary Layer
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Heat Transfer
  • Hypersonic Aircraft
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Space Transportation
  • Spacecraft
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Facilities

Readers

  • Economics
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.

Technology Areas

  • Space