The Cutting Edge A Half Century of U.S. Fighter Aircraft R&D

by Lorell, Mark; Levaux, Hugh P.

• ISBN13: 9780833026071
• ISBN10: 0833026070
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-10-06
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

This pictorial history, featuring nearly 40 rare aircraft photos, discusses the major trends in the history of jet fighter design and development in the United States since WWII. With the declining size and experience base of the U.S. military aerospace industry, many worry about the industry's ability to support future military requirements. The authors examine the successes of the past to help shape research and development policies for the future.

Table of Contents

Preface	iii	(6)
Figures	ix	(2)
Photographs	xi	(2)
Tables	xiii	(2)
Summary	xv	(6)
Acknowledgments	xxi	(2)
Abbreviations	xxiii
Chapter One INTRODUCTION	1	(14)
Background and Overview	1	(4)
Research Approach and Methodology	5	(7)
Defining Credibility and Success	6	(1)
Defining Experience	7	(2)
Three Postwar Periods of Fighter R&D	9	(1)
Database Analysis	10	(2)
Conclusions	12	(3)
Chapter Two THE 1920s TO THE 1950s: THE LONG ROAD TOWARD U.S. LEADERSHIP IN FIGHTER R&D	15	(36)
Introduction	15	(1)
U.S. Fighters and Their Developers Before the Jet Age (1917-1945)	16	(9)
Building the Experience Base: First-Generation Subsonic Jet Fighters	25	(26)
U.S. Jet-Fighter Development During World War II	26	(7)
Air Force Leadership in the Immediate Postwar Years	33	(9)
The Navy Pursues a More Conservative Approach	42	(9)
Chapter Three THE SUPERSONIC REVOLUTION	51	(38)
Ever Faster and Higher: Jet-Fighter R&D Trends in the 1950s	51	(6)
Development of Air Force Supersonic Fighters	57	(15)
Development of Navy Supersonic Fighters	72	(6)
Overall Trends for Period 1, 1945-1961	78	(11)
Continuity, Specialization, and Incrementalism	78	(7)
Competition and Prototyping	85	(1)
Air Force and NACA Technology Leadership	86	(3)
Chapter Four THE 1960S AND 1970S: ACQUISITION REFORM, DOCTRINAL FERMENT	89	(14)
Introduction	89	(7)
McNamara and the TFX: One Size Fits All	96	(7)
Chapter Five REVIVAL OF THE AIR-SUPERIORITY FIGHTER	103	(26)
Introduction	103	(1)
Of Eagles and Tomcats	103	(9)
The F-16 And F/A-18: Lighter, Lower-Cost Additions	112	(7)
Overall Trends in the 1960s And 1970s	119	(10)
Experience and Specialization: The Continuity of Leadership	120	(5)
Competition and Prototyping	125	(1)
Continuing Air Force and NASA Technology Leadership	126	(3)
Chapter Six THE 1970s TO THE 1990s: THE STEALTH REVOLUTION	129	(26)
New Technology, New Industry Leaders	129	(5)
Development of the F-117 Nighthawk	134	(3)
Emergence of the Advanced Technology Bomber Program	137	(3)
The F-22: Developing the First Stealthy Air-Superiority Fighter	140	(5)
The Role of Experience in the Stealth Era	145	(10)
Chapter Seven CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS	155	(8)
The Interplay of Experience and Innovation	155	(1)
The Importance of System-Specific Experience	156	(1)
The Effect of New Technology Paradigms	157	(2)
The Relationship of Fighter R&D to Other Types of System Development	159	(1)
The Importance of Government Military Technology Research	160	(1)
Competition and Capabilities	161	(2)
Appendix	163	(38)
A. DATABASE DESCRIPTION	163	(6)
B. DATABASE	169	(32)
Bibliography	201	(8)
Index	209	(12)
About the Authors	221