Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Realistic Testing Needed Before Production of Short-Range System
NSIAD-90-234
Published: Sep 28, 1990. Publicly Released: Sep 28, 1990.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) strategy for acquiring the Short-Ranged Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system, focusing on a comparison between DOD acquisition strategies for UAV and a previously procured system that encountered problems when deployed with the Navy's operational forces.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress may wish to consider whether the congressional intent for a joint service system is jeopardized by the substantial risk that the Navy variant will be unsuitable, and, if so, Congress may wish to prohibit full-rate production of UAV until performance of the Navy variant is proven to be satisfactory. | The Navy Variant Program has been cancelled. GAO is now performing congressionally requested follow-up review. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require that operational testing of UAV be conducted in diverse, realistic environments to provide reasonable assurance that it will meet requirements before permitting limited production of the land-based UAV system. |
DOD officials now state that they only intend to deploy the short range UAV to areas which are similar to the planned test location. They specifically rule out moist, tropical environments as primary deployment locations. A second test location is going to be added to provide a more diverse environment for testing, as well. Hence, DOD officials believe the test plan is now realistic.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should limit UAV system production until satisfactory performance of the Navy variant is demonstrated and ensure that actions are taken to correct the other shortcomings noted in the planned test program. |
The Navy variant of the system has been withdrawn from the program. Also, a new test plan was approved by the Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation indicating that DOD believes all test plan shortcomings have been addressed. No further action is required.
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Combat readinessComparative analysisUnmanned aerial systemsDefense procurementInteragency relationsMilitary land vehiclesNaval warfareOperational testingProcurement planningTest equipmentWeapons systems