THE MILITARY SPACE PLANE PROVIDING （军事航天飞机提供）.pdf

THE MILITARY SPACE PLANE PROVIDING TRANSFORMATIONAL AND RESPONSIVE GLOBAL PRECISION STRIKING POWER A White Paper on the Operational Utility of a Military Spaceplane st in the Emerging 21 Century International Security Environment Proposed by members of ONE TEAM in Conjunction With the 120 Day Reusable Launch Vehicle Study DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors. This paper does not represent the views, policies, or plans of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government. No classified documents were referenced in the preparation of this paper. Peterson AFB, Colorado January 2002 DRAFT The weapon of superior reach or range should be looked upon as the fulcrum of combined tactics. Thus, should a group of fighters be armed with bows, spears and swords, it is around the arrow that tactics should be shaped; if with cannons, muskets, and pikes, then around the cannon; and if with aircraft, artillery, and rifles, then around the airplane —Maj. Gen. J. F. C. Fuller, Armament and History, 1945 Operations that now focus on air, land and sea will ultimately evolve into space —Global Engagement Symbols of a World Power At the turn of the 20th century, nations that possessed battleships were world powers that shaped and determined how military and economic power would be employed during crisis and war. Today, nations with a robust and indigenous space capability firm