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Rocket and air-breathing propulsion systems are the foundation on which planning for future aerospace systems rests. A Review of United States Air Force and Department of Defense Aerospace Propulsion Needs assesses the existing technical base in these areas and examines the future Air Force capabilities the base will be expected to support. This report also defines gaps and recommends where future warfighter capabilities not yet fully defined could be met by current science and technology development plans.
The ongoing development of military aerospace platforms requires continuous technology advances in order to provide the nation's war fighters with the desired advantage. Significant advances in the performance and efficiency of jet and rocket propulsion systems are strongly dependent on the development of lighter more durable high-temperature materials. Materials development has been significantly reduced in the United States since the early 1990s, when the Department of Defense (DOD), the military services, and industry had very active materials development activities to underpin the development of new propulsion systems. This resulted in significant improvements in all engine characteristi...
Because rocket and air-breathing propulsion systems are the foundation on which planning for future aerospace systems rests, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology, and Engineering (SAF/AQR), with support from the Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR & E), asked the Air Force Studies Board (AFSB) of the National Research Council (NRC) to review and comment on the planning for propulsion development that is under way at the Department of Defense (DoD) and the commercial technical base for these air-breathing and rocket engines that allow access to space and for in-space propulsion systems (see Box 1-1 for the study's statement of task). This full-spectrum propulsion study assesses the existing technical base in these areas and examines the future Air Force capabilities the base will be expected to support; it also defines gaps and recommends where future warfighter capabilities not yet fully defined could be met by current science and technology (S & T) development plans. The recommendations in this report may shape DoD engine development planning for the next 15 years and, possibly, military capabilities beyond that.
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Focuses on cooperative AEC-NASA-DOD RPD programs to apply nuclear power to rocket propulsion and spacecraft power systems.
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The National Aerospace Initiative (NAI) was conceived as a joint effort between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to sustain the aerospace leadership of the United States through the acceleration of selected aerospace technologies: hypersonic flight, access to space, and space technologies. The Air Force became concerned about the NAI's possible consequences on Air Force programs and budget if NAI program decisions differed from Air Force priorities. To examine this issue, it asked the NRC for an independent review of the NAI. This report presents the results of that assessment. It focuses on three questions asked by the Air Force: is NAI technically feasible in the time frame laid out; is it financially feasible over that period; and is it operationally relevant.