Identifying the importance level of the factors having negative effects on combat aircraft development programs

Combat aircrafts have a significant role in scientific and technological improvements as one of the primary identifiers of a country's operational effectiveness. The developments in combat aircraft technology have been accelerated since the jet-engined combat aircrafts were used during World War II. The governments have to follow these developments and enhance them to protect their countries and maintain their benefits. However, different problems have been faced during the development phase of combat aircrafts, and most of them have caused delays on the project schedule or significant increases in the cost of the projects. In the scope of this study, a research was conducted about the third, fourth, and fifthgeneration combat aircraft development programs, and the factors having negative effects on the programs were identified in the light of the problems faced and lessons learned factors. The importance level of these factors were identified by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), one of the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. For the pairwise comparisons of the factors in application of AHP method, 11 Subject Matter Experts (SME) have been chosen as decision-makers among the people working as system engineers at a company operating in defence and aerospace industry in Turkey, who have gained experience in the international and national projects. The purpose of identification of the factors having impact on development of combat aircrafts based on their importance weights is to ensure that this study serves as a guide for the ongoing projects and contributes to the improvements of the project phases.