Buy, build, or steal
Subtitle: China's quest for advanced military aviation technologies
By: by Phillip C. Saunders and Joshua K. Wiseman
Contributors: Wiseman, Joshua K.; National Defense University. Center for Strategic Research
Series: Institute for National Strategic Studies China strategic perspectives -- no. 4
Publisher: National Defense University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 61
Subjects: Military Aeronautics; Procurement; Technological innovations; Armed Forces; Aerospace industries
Description: 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-avis potential suppliers.
Notes: "December 2011."

"Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-58).