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Defense Acquisitions: Army Aviation Modernization Has Benefited from Increased Funding but Several Challenges Need to Be Addressed

GAO-09-978R Published: Sep 28, 2009. Publicly Released: Sep 28, 2009.
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Highlights

The Army's current efforts to transform and modernize its aviation assets began in 1999, seeking to maintain and improve the warfighting capabilities of the existing force as well as to invest in science and technology in a way that improved the future force. To accomplish these goals, the Army focused on upgrading and modernizing existing equipment, rapidly fielding new equipment, incorporating new technologies as they became available, and restructuring aviation warfighting units. Initially, fielding the developmental Comanche helicopter was a key focus of modernization, but when the Comanche program was terminated in 2004, an investment strategy was presented to Congress that would redistribute $14.6 billion of planned Comanche funding through fiscal year 2011 to enhance a broad range of Army aviation modernization efforts. Furthermore, the Army is currently re-evaluating the plans that were established in 2004 by conducting several assessments, tracking progress, and assessing future capability requirements, and intends to develop an updated Aviation Modernization Plan in 2010. Given this, Congress asked us to determine: (1) What is the Army's current investment strategy for its aviation forces? (2) How do the current aviation plans differ from the initial post-Comanche plans and what are the causes of the differences? (3) What challenges does the current investment strategy face?

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Army To address various challenges, the Secretary of the Army should ensure that the 2010 Army Aviation Modernization Strategy include an assessment of the impact of potentially available funding levels and sources on the ongoing and planned aviation programs, and how the Army will maximize capabilities within these constraints.
Closed – Not Implemented
Army generally concurred with the report and recommendations. The Army Modernization strategy issued in April 2010 did not include a monetary assessment of funding levels or indicate how they will manage within funding constraints.
Department of the Army To address various challenges, the Secretary of the Army should ensure that the 2010 Army Aviation Modernization Strategy include specifics on how the Army intends to balance demands to field aviation equipment quickly while ensuring that the technology is mature, and to apply lessons learned in its new development programs.
Closed – Not Implemented
Army generally concurred with the report and recommendations. The 2010 Army Modernization strategy issued in April 2010, while mentioning lessons learned from wartime technologies, they did not include specifics on which programs would benefit from this analysis or the level of detail to be included in the analysis.
Department of the Army To address various challenges, the Secretary of the Army should ensure that the 2010 Army Aviation Modernization Strategy include an assessment of the feasibility of acquiring and employing future aviation capabilities--such as the Joint Future Theatre Lift aircraft--as well as manage the mix of manned and unmanned capabilities over the long term.
Closed – Not Implemented
Army generally concurred with the report and recommendations. The 2010 Army Modernization strategy issued in April 2010 did not address the feasibility of acquiring future capabilities or the manned and unmanned mix over the long term.

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Topics

Air defense systemsAircraftArmy procurementDefense procurementEquipment upgradesGovernment off the shelfHelicoptersInvestment planningMilitary aircraftMilitary aviationMilitary procurementMilitary technologyMissilesNeeds assessmentProcurement planningStrategic planningUnmanned aerial systems