United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-06-07 monographic deposited born digital 25 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-450 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450 P0b002ee1803989a5 f:d01450 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450 GAO-01-450 Army procurement Helicopters Military aircraft Developmental testing Operational testing Defense capabilities Schedule slippages Cost overruns Concurrency Army Comanche Helicopter Program RAH-66 Helicopter Other Written Product A01163 GAO found that the Army's Comanche helicopter program faced significant risks related to cost overruns, scheduling delays, and degraded performance in August 1999, and that proceeding to the next development phase with high levels of uncertainty was not in accordance with best practices followed by successful commercial firms. This report evaluates changes, since GAO's last review in 1999, in the Comanche's status on cost, schedule, and performance, and assesses whether the Army will have the knowledge it needs to proceed with its current production plans. First, GAO found that the Comanche program's total development and production cost estimate has increased by almost $4.8 billion. However, areas of high technical risks and unfunded requirements could further increase the program's costs. The program office does not plan to update its April 2000 current estimate to reflect these increases until January 2003. Second, the Comanche's December 2006 full rate production decision date has not changed even though the risks of not meeting this date have increased. Third, the Army continues to face the risk that critical performance requirements may not be met--at least for the helicopters it will initially produce. The Department of Defense recently provided $84 million in additional development funding to help reduce some of these high-risk areas. Additionally, the Army is not likely to have the knowledge it should have to begin production when scheduled. It is also not likely to know whether certain technologies being developed--such as those used for the mission equipment package--will work on the helicopter and function as expected and whether the helicopter can be produced within current cost estimates. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450.pdf GAO-01-450 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-450 Other Written Product GAO-01-450; Defense Acquisition: Comanche Program Objectives Need to Be Revised to More Achievable Levels; Army procurement Helicopters Military aircraft Developmental testing Operational testing Defense capabilities Schedule slippages Cost overruns Concurrency Army Comanche Helicopter Program RAH-66 Helicopter Public Law 106-239