United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-10-22 monographic deposited born digital 24 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-98-13 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13 P0b002ee18038bac2 f:ns98013 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13 NSIAD-98-13 Defense capabilities Testing Aircraft research Aircraft components Product performance evaluation Cost effectiveness analysis Military procurement Military aircraft Military cost control Osprey Aircraft V-22 Aircraft CH-53D Helicopter CH-46E Helicopter AN/APQ 174 Multi-Function Radar AN/AVR-2A Laser-Warning Receiver Letter Report NSIAD GAO reported on the V-22 Osprey Program, which is intended to provide the armed services with 523 new tilt-rotor aircraft, focusing on: (1) the status of the program and areas of potential cost increases or performance challenges; and (2) whether the aircraft being developed will meet the stated requirements of each of the services.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) the V-22 has been in development for almost 15 years; (2) although Congress has provided significant funding and support to the Department of Defense (DOD), the system has not yet achieved program stability in terms of cost or aircraft design; (3) there are large disparities among the cost estimates from the program office, the contractors, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense; (4) these estimates range from about $40 million to $58 million for each aircraft; (5) the design of the aircraft will not be stabilized until further testing is completed and several important performance and operational issues, such as payload capability, aerial refueling, and downwash are resolved; (6) resolution of these issues, which could also require mission trade-offs or changes to planned operational concepts, will likely escalate program costs and extend the program schedule; (7) the April 1997 low-rate initial production (LRIP) decision was based, in large part, on the results of early operational testing using aircraft produced under an earlier full-scale development program; (8) however, those aircraft are not representative of the aircraft currently being developed during the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the V-22 program; (9) furthermore, the DOD Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), has characterized the tests on which the LRIP decision was based as extremely artificial because of significant test limitations; and (10) future production decisions for the V-22 should be based on more realistic testing. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13.pdf GAO/NSIAD-98-13 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-98-13 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-98-13; Navy Aviation: V-22 Cost and Capability to Meet Requirements Are Yet to Be Determined; Defense capabilities Testing Aircraft research Aircraft components Product performance evaluation Cost effectiveness analysis Military procurement Military aircraft Military cost control Osprey Aircraft V-22 Aircraft CH-53D Helicopter CH-46E Helicopter AN/APQ 174 Multi-Function Radar AN/AVR-2A Laser-Warning Receiver