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Comanche Helicopter: Program Needs Reassessment Due to Increased Unit Cost and Other Factors

NSIAD-92-204 Published: May 27, 1992. Publicly Released: May 27, 1992.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's development of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Army Should the Department of Defense (DOD) decide to continue with the Comanche program, the Secretary of the Army should revise the Comanche's maintenance man-hour per flight hour requirement to include, as directed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, all time related to maintenance work on aircraft. This would provide a realistic basis for determining how many maintainers will be required to support the aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
As noted in a subsequent GAO report on the Comanche (NSIAD-95-112), this requirement has been modified by the Army.
Department of the Army Should DOD decide to continue with the Comanche program, the Secretary of the Army should include scheduled maintenance in the Army's analysis of the Comanche's reliability requirement.
Closed – Not Implemented
The original response to the Comanche report, expected around October 1993, was inadvertently misplaced. By July 1994, DOD-IG notified GAO that it had discovered this oversight and planned to informally provide GAO with the original response. On September 8, 1995, GAO received DOD's response, which nonconcurred. It was noted that, while the response reflected the Department's original position on the GAO findings and recommendations, "it was determined that there would be little use served by attempting to update the response and obtain signature after two years."
Department of the Army Should DOD decide to continue with the Comanche program, the Secretary of the Army should add the operational availability requirement to the Comanche's program baseline.
Closed – Implemented
The original response to the Comanche report, expected around October 1993, was inadvertently misplaced. By July 1994, DOD-IG notified GAO that it had discovered this oversight and planned to informally provide GAO with the original response. On September 8, 1995, GAO received DOD's response. It was noted that the Department concurred with this recommendation and had added the requirement.
Department of the Army Should DOD decide to continue with the Comanche program and if concurrency remains in the restructured program, the Secretary of the Army should eliminate concurrency to the extent practicable to avoid the additional cost of modifying initial production aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
The original response to the Comanche report, expected around October 1993, was inadvertently misplaced. The Department concurred with the GAO recommendation and a subsequent review of the Comanche (NSIAD-95-112) noted that a restructuring of the program has lessened the risk of concurrency.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should review the appropriateness of the Army's requirements for the Comanche program, especially in light of the rising unit cost, dwindling defense resources, diminishing threat, the blurring of its distinct role with the Apache, and proposed upgrades to the existing helicopter fleet.
Closed – Not Implemented
The original response to the Comanche report, expected around October 1993, was inadvertently misplaced. By July 1994, DOD-IG notified GAO that it had discovered this oversight and planned to informally provide GAO with the original response. On September 8, 1995, GAO received DOD's response. It was noted that, while the response reflected the Department's original position on the GAO findings and recommendations, "it was determined that there would be little use served by attempting to update the response and obtain signature after two years."

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Topics

Weapons systemsAircraft maintenanceAircraft researchArmy procurementCombat readinessDefense capabilitiesHelicoptersMilitary aircraftMilitary cost controlMilitary operations