National Aeronautical Research and Competitiveness Act of 1993

Summary: National Aeronautical Research and Competitiveness Act of 1993 - Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Secretary of Defense to:  (1) establish a joint military and civilian aeronautical research and development program; (2) prepare and transmit to the Congress a five-year aeronautical research plan; and (3) establish an Aeronautical Research Advisory Committee.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Aeronautical Research and 
Competitiveness Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) aircraft production in the United States affects nearly 
        80 percent of the economy;
            (2) for every dollar increase in shipments of United States 
        aircraft internationally, the United States economy output 
        increases by an estimated $2.30;
            (3) for every $1,000,000,000 of aircraft shipments 
        internationally, nearly 35,000 jobs are created;
            (4) many of the advanced aircraft technologies developed by 
        the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the 
        Department of Defense have application in design, development, 
        testing, and production for both civil aircraft and military 
        aircraft;
            (5) a decrease in military aviation programs will have a 
        negative impact on civil aviation programs;
            (6) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has 
        found that it must strengthen its capabilities and take a more 
        assertive role in coordinating and facilitating long-term 
        United States aeronautical research efforts;
            (7) research programs at the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration that have potential applications in both 
        military and civil aviation include wind tunnels and wind 
        tunnel technology, high-speed research technology, rotorcraft 
        technology, high performance aircraft technology, supersonic 
        technology, and others;
            (8) joint technology development programs among the 
        Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, and industry would allow for transferring 
        skills and technologies from the defense to the civilian 
        aerospace sector and would allow for the transfer back to 
        defense, when necessary; and
            (9) such joint programs could allow for the Department of 
        Defense contribution to the programs to be phased out over 5 
        years, which would allow the defense industry to make the 
        transfer to the civilian aerospace sector and produce needed 
        aerospace technology.

SEC. 3. JOINT AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Administrator and the Secretary shall 
jointly establish a program for the purpose of conducting research on 
aeronautical technologies that have application to both military and 
civil aeronautical vehicles and that enhance United States 
competitiveness. Such program shall include research on--
            (1) next-generation wind tunnel and advanced wind tunnel 
        instrumentation technology;
            (2) advanced engine materials, engine concepts, and testing 
        of propulsion systems or components of the high-speed civil 
        transport research program;
            (3) high performance aircraft research;
            (4) advanced rotorcraft research;
            (5) advanced hypersonic aeronautical research;
            (6) environmentally compatible technologies, including 
        technologies that limit or reduce noise and air pollution; and
            (7) relevant human factors, including the human factors 
        which may affect or be affected by the transfer of aeronautical 
        technologies from the military sector to the civil sector.
    (b) Contracts and Grants.--Contracts and grants entered into under 
the program established under subsection (a) shall be administered 
using procedures developed jointly by the Secretary and the 
Administrator. These procedures should include scientific peer review 
and an integrated acquisition policy for contract and grant 
requirements and for technical data rights that are not an impediment 
to joint programs among the Department of Defense, the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and industry.

SEC. 4. AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH PLAN.

    (a) Requirement.--Within 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator and the Secretary, in consultation with 
the advisory committee, shall prepare and transmit to Congress a 
national aeronautical research plan setting forth the research and 
development that the Administrator and the Secretary consider necessary 
to advance aeronautical technologies over the 5-year period beginning 
in fiscal year 1993.
    (b) Objectives of Plan.--The objectives of the plan prepared under 
subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) selected programs that jointly enhance public and 
        private aeronautical technology development;
            (2) an opportunity for private defense contractors to be 
        involved in transition activities to the civilian sector; and
            (3) the transfer of Federal Government-developed 
        technologies to the private sector to promote economic strength 
        and competitiveness.
    (c) Contents of Plan.--The plan prepared under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) for the first year, detailed objectives and estimates 
        of the schedule, cost, and manpower levels for each research 
        project, and a description of the scope and content of each 
        major contract or grant;
            (2) for the second through fifth years, estimates of the 
        total cost of each major project for such year and a list of 
        all major research projects which may be required to meet the 
        objectives;
            (3) a 5-year schedule for the decrease of Federal 
        contribution and corresponding increase in private sector 
        contributions for the research and development program; and
            (4) the portion of the Federal contribution that each 
        Federal agency will contribute.
    (d) Annual Update.--The plan prepared under subsection (a) shall be 
updated annually, to reflect changes in global aviation technologies 
and United States competitiveness.

SEC. 5. ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--Within 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator and the Secretary shall establish an 
Aeronautical Research Advisory Committee.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the advisory committee shall be--
            (1) to provide advice and recommendations to the 
        Administrator and the Secretary regarding needs, objectives, 
        approaches, content, funding levels, and accomplishments with 
        respect to the aeronautical research program established under 
        section 3;
            (2) to advise the Administrator and the Secretary on the 
        preparation of the aeronautical research plan under section 4, 
        including annual updates thereto;
            (3) to evaluate the technologies underway in the private 
        sector, other Federal agencies, and other countries that will 
        lead to the development of dual-use technologies and programs, 
        and to make recommendations for future dual-use technology 
        needs, taking into account the need to avoid duplication of 
        effort;
            (4) to propose long-term research needs; and
            (5) to assess international competition.
    (c) Membership.--The advisory committee shall be composed of not 
more than 20 members, to be appointed jointly by the Administrator and 
the Secretary, from among persons who are not employees of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration or the Department of Defense and 
who are especially qualified to serve on the advisory committee by 
virtue of their education, training, or experience. In appointing 
members of the advisory committee, the Administrator and the Secretary 
shall ensure that universities, corporations, associations, industry, 
and other Federal agencies are represented. The majority of the members 
of the advisory committee shall be representatives of industry.
    (d) Chairperson.--The Administrator and the Secretary shall 
designate one member of the advisory committee as the chairperson, who 
shall be qualified in both military and civil aeronautical research, 
and in the applications of such research.
    (e) Subordinate Committees.--The Administrator and the Secretary, 
or the advisory committee, may establish subordinate committees to the 
advisory committee to provide advice and recommendations on specific 
areas of research conducted under this Act.
    (f) Administrative and Support Services.--The Administrator shall 
provide support staff and, on the request of the advisory committee, 
such information, administrative services, and supplies as the 
Administrator determines are necessary for the advisory committee to 
carry out its purposes.
    (g) Termination.--Section 14(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.; relating to the termination of advisory 
committees) shall not apply to the advisory committee.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
            (2) the term ``advisory committee'' means the Aeronautical 
        Research Advisory Committee established under section 5; and
            (3) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Defense.