Advanced Composite Materials: The Air Force's Role in Technology Development
Abstract
This RAND Note documents a study on the important institutional activities and processes that contributed to the timely maturation of advanced composite materials technology for use in combat aircraft structures. The primary purpose of this Note is to identify the roles that the Air Force (and other governmental organizations) played in the transition of composites from an emerging and potentially important military technology to the point of initial applications in new aircraft designs. This study was motivated by the hypothesis that the successful development of divergent technologies (for military purposes) may have some important and common institutional factors that can be identified. For example, the phasing of critical-technologies identification studies, the enduring presence of technology advocates within the Department of Defense, and the funding of advanced technology development programs may all be as important to a maturation process as are those elements that are strictly technical in nature. This work was performed in the Resource Management and System Acquisition Program within Project AIR FORCE. This Note supplements RAND report R-4199-AF, Maintaining Future Military Aircraft Design Capability (1992), which examines the general question of how to maintain combat aircraft design capabilities in rapidly changing threat and budget environments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA477647
Entities
People
- Curt Rogers
Organizations
- RAND Corporation