JAS för jobb
JAS-projektet som industripolitiskt medel
JAS-projectMilitary industry conversion to civilian marketsSwedish industrial policyNeo-schumpeterian theory
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the target to convert the Swedish military aviation industry towards working within the civilian sector was planned and implemented parallel to the target of building a world-class military aircraft. A number of Government bills have been studied, bills directly connected to the JAS-project as well as bills dealing with civilian project ?s for the military aviation industry. The first group includes bills dealing with the JAS-project ?s role in the overarcing defence policy, as well as the Government ?s bill specifying the guidelines for the JAS-project. The other group includes five bills regarding Government funding for civilian projects supporting the military aviation industry ?s transition from the military to the civilian market. The paper shows that the double targets of the JAS-project were separated early on into two simultaneous processes. While the target of developing and producing a new military aircraft was placed within the JAS-project, the target of converting the military aviation industry for the civilian market was directed toward a number of government-supported civilian projects. These civilian projects were based and dependent on cooperation deals between the Swedish aviation industry (Saab aviation and Volvo flygmotor) and two of their American counterparts (Fairchild Industries and General Electric Company). This paper points to the Government having an ambition for the civilian projects to create the base for a stable Swedish civilian aviation industry to which the personnel from the military side of the aviation industry could be transferred once their work on the JAS-project was done. Unfortunately, with the cancellation and changes of the deals with the American aviation industy during the 1980 ?s and the decison by Saab aviation to stop production of commercial aircrafts in 1999, the Government ?s vision of a civilian aviation industry could not be realised. As no Swedish civilian aviation industry had been established the personnel from the development side of the JAS-project would have nowhere to be transferred to (after their part in the project was done). While the Governments target with converting of the aviation industy to save the industries knowledge and expertise was fulfilled in the short term, the ambition to spread this knowledge and expertise to other parts of the Swedish industry and thus make the aviation industry a driving force for the development of Swedish technology industry were not realised.