Although China continues to lag approximately two
decades behind the world’s most sophisticated air forces in terms of its
ability to develop and produce fighter aircraft and other complex aerospace
systems, it has moved over time from absolute reliance on other countries for
military aviation technology to a position where a more diverse array of
strategies can be pursued. Steps taken in the late 1990s to reform China’s
military aviation sector demonstrated an understanding of the problems
inherent in high-technology acquisition, and an effort to move forward.
However, a decade later it remains unclear how effective these reforms have
been. Where are the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and China’s
military aviation industry headed? What obstacles must be overcome for China to
join the exclusive ranks of those nations possessing sophisticated air forces
and aviation industries capable of producing world-class aircraft?
This study identifies potential aviation
technology development and procurement strategies, presents a general model of
the options available to developing countries, and applies that model to
explain Chinese procurement and aviation technology acquisition efforts over
the last 60 years. The model articulates three main technology procurement
avenues: purchase (buy), indigenous development (build), and espionage
(steal), and three subavenues: reverse engineering (combining buy/steal and
build), coproduction (combining buy and build), and codevelopment (combining
buy and build, with an emphasis on build). It examines the costs, benefits, and
tradeoffs inherent in each approach. Four variables influence decisions about
the mix of strategies: (1) a country’s overall level of economic development,
in particular the state of its technical/industrial base; (2) the technological
capacity of a country’s military aviation sector; (3) the willingness of
foreign countries to sell advanced military aircraft, key components,
armaments, and related production technology; and (4) the country’s bargaining
power vis-à-vis potential suppliers.
Date of Report: December 14, 2011
Number of Pages: 67
Order Number: G1885
Price: $19.95
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