Life Cycle Management of Military Commercial Derivative Aircraft

Commercial derivative aircraft (CDA) are aircraft based on a commercial design and modified to accommodate military requirements for a national security need. CDA have several features that can benefit the U.S. Air Force (USAF), such as reduced development time, management of cost overruns, and reduced risk throughout the aircraft life cycle process. Drawing on interviews with U.S. Air Force (USAF), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and industry experts, the authors assess the benefits and challenges of (and propose best practices for) CDA acquisition to inform future USAF strategy. The authors also review existing research related to CDA acquisition to improve understanding of the challenges associated with balancing the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a CDA project and examine the KC-46A acquisition experience for lessons applicable to future CDA. This is a companion report to another 2023 report, Improving Acquisition and Sustainment Outcomes for Military Commercial Derived Aircraft: The KC-46A Pegasus Experience.