U.S. Aviation and Aerospace Industries
Require R&D Support

Approved by the IEEE-USA Board of Directors
13 Nov. 2003

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers-United States of America (IEEE-USA) recommends that Congress and the Executive Branch undertake a national initiative to revitalize the weakened U.S. aviation and aerospace industry. This industry is a $900 billion component of America's economic engine, and a source of research, development and technology that is critical to ensuring America's continued engineering and scientific prowess. The leadership position of the U.S. aviation and aerospace industries is being eroded by foreign competitors who benefit from extensive government subsidies. That challenge becomes even more pressing in view of the European Commission plan, European Aeronautics: A Vision for 2020, which presents a roadmap for the European aerospace industry to acquire that world leadership.

The current predicament is the outcome of multiple problems and requires a range of remedies, which are outlined in the report of the Presidential Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. IEEE-USA endorses the findings of the report, and specifically calls for a national aerospace initiative to:

• Re-invigorate basic and applied research in aeronautics and aviation.
• Develop aviation/aerospace technologies that will significantly lower noise, emissions and fuel consumption.
• Address the cost, frequency and reliability of entering space, and increase its economic viability.
• Fund revolutionary, not just evolutionary, changes to the air transportation system to obtain greater capacity, safety, traffic flow and automation.

IEEE-USA also urges Congress to provide adequate resources in support of the national aerospace R&D priorities laid out in such plans as the FAA National Aviation Research Plan and the NASA 2003 Strategic Plan.

This statement was developed by the IEEE-USA's Committee on Transportation and Aerospace Technology Policy and represents the considered judgment of a group of U.S. IEEE members with expertise in the subject field. IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., created in 1973 to advance the public good, while promoting the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 235,000 electrical electronics, computer and software engineers who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. For more information, go to http://www.ieeeusa.org.

References:

The Aviation Coalition, Crisis in Aviation (March 2003)
Source: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/2003/031003.pdf

European Commission, European Aeronautics: A Vision for 2020 (January 2001)
Source: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/growth/aeronautics2020/pdf/aeronautics2020_en.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration, National Aviation Research Plan (2003).
Source: http://204.108.10.116/nasiHTML/RED/narp03/index1.html

IEEE-USA, Upgrade the National Airspace System while Promoting Industry (2002).
Source: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POSITIONS/airspacesystem.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Strategic Plan (2003).
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/1968main_strategi.pdf

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The NASA Aeronautics Blueprint:
Toward a Bold New Era of Aviation.
Source: http://aero-space.nasa.gov/aero_blueprint/

Presidential Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry,
Final Report (Nov. 2002).
Source: http://www.aerospacecommission.gov/

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Last Updated: 17 November 2003
Staff Contact: Bill Williams, bill.williams@ieee.org

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