Aircraft (Formerly Air Domain) –
The U.S. Aircraft Industrial Base (AIB) stands at a critical inflection point. As strategic competition intensifies, particularly with China, America’s ability to project airpower and maintain deterrence will depend on the health and resilience of the AIB. While the Department of Defense’s 2023 National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) and its 2025 Implementation Plan (NDIS-IP) chart an ambitious course for revitalizing the broader defense industrial base, they devote limited attention to the aircraft sector. This paper bridges that gap by assessing the strengths and vulnerabilities of the AIB and offering recommendations to apply, supplement, or complement the implementation initiatives identified in the NDIS-IP in ways that will make the aircraft industry more robust and resilient.
The research reveals a sector under strain. Workforce shortages, reliance on foreign sources for critical minerals, and regulatory frameworks that fail to align with strategic needs undermine the AIB’s ability to respond to both peacetime production demands and wartime surge requirements. Compounding these challenges is a rigid intellectual property regime and an export control system that hinder collaboration with trusted allies, slow innovation, and constrain industrial flexibility.
The paper argues for a shift in approach that embraces modernization, allied collaboration, and targeted policy reform. It recommends accelerating the adoption of additive manufacturing, rebuilding domestic capacity for critical mineral processing, and expanding strategic stockpiles to reduce vulnerabilities in the production supply chain. To address chronic workforce gaps, the paper calls for a nationally coordinated strategy that links federal investments with educational institutions and incentivizes careers in advanced manufacturing.
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