Defense Acquisitions: Comanche Program Cost, Schedule, and Performance Status
NSIAD-99-146
Published: Aug 24, 1999. Publicly Released: Sep 15, 1999.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's Comanche Helicopter Program, focusing on: (1) the risks in the Army's restructured plans for developing and testing the Comanche; (2) the changes in the Comanche's performance capabilities and requirements; (3) cost estimates for development; and (4) the Comanche's impact on the Army's overall aviation modernization efforts.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should reevaluate the Army's decisions to: (1) accelerate the Comanche program's Milestone II; and (2) implement a development program with high concurrency. The reevaluation should demonstrate how the Army specifically plans to minimize the risk associated with the technology being developed for inclusion in the mission equipment package prior to the Milestone II decision. |
Closed – Implemented
In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD partially concurred with the recommendations in the report. DOD stated that it did not believe a reevaluation was necessary and that it exercises oversight of the Comanche program through the DOD acquisition process and considers the acceleration of the Milestone II decision as well as the Program Manager's approach to the management of risk and concurrency, to be prudent and appropriate at this point of development. The Milestone II decision was made in April 2000.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should reevaluate the Army's decisions to: (1) accelerate the Comanche program's Milestone II; and (2) implement a development program with high concurrency. The reevaluation should demonstrate how the Army specifically plans to ensure that major mission equipment package systems can be successfully integrated and tested in the Comanche in order to meet developmental and operational test schedule requirements. |
Closed – Implemented
In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD partially concurred with the recommendations in the report. DOD stated that it did not believe a reevaluation was necessary and that it exercises oversight of the Comanche program through the DOD acquisition process and considers the acceleration of the Milestone II decision as well as the Program Manager's approach to the management of risk and concurrency, to be prudent and appropriate at this point of development. The Milestone II decision was made in April 2000.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the Secretary of the Army, before the Milestone II decision, to evaluate and report on the extent to which increased operational requirements and weight growth would impact key performance capabilities, such as stealth and maneuverability, and how the Army intends to manage the program's cost and schedule to accommodate any adverse impacts, if found. |
Closed – Implemented
In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD partially concurred with the recommendations in the report. DOD stated that the program's overarching integrated product team will consider all the issues mentioned in the recommendation prior to the Milestone II decision and that no additional report is required to satisfy the recommendation. The Milestone II decision was made in April 2000.
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Topics
Army procurementConcurrencyCost analysisDefense capabilitiesFuture budget projectionsHelicoptersMilitary aircraftMilitary cost controlOperational testingWeapons systems