ABSTRACT
Aerospace industries are strategic elements of national industrial capabilities. This strategic position extends beyond the obvious military significance of such industries to overall considerations of international status and predominance in the future development of science and technology. It is no overstatement to claim that aerospace industries are intimately involved with the "cutting edge" of high technologies in that aerospace technology, in its broadest sense, synergistically uses the knowledge of most scientific disciplines. Consequently, the "systems integration" of diverse technologies is key to continued aerospace development. Technology originally developed for aerospace purposes is often transferred in the form of innovative spin-offs to non-aerospace functions. For example, it has been claimed that the net benefits arising from NASA's technological development programmes are at least several times the original expenditure, and likely much more.
