Air Force Requirements for Electronic Warfare Operational Test and Training Equipment

The fiscal year 1978 Air Force budget estimate included $16.5 million for procurement of threat simulators and related equipment to upgrade its operational test, evaluation and training equipment and ranges. These improvements were intended to provide a realistic training environment in which to train aircrews.

There is no question of the overall need to improve Air Force operational ranges or the attempt to achieve greater realism in training aircrews. However, the Air Force should improve the information it presents to congressional decisionmakers who must act on appropriations request for the program. In the case of threat simulators and related equipment, much more is involved than just the procurement of specific pieces of equipment. Documents indicate a 5-year total program cost estimated at $694 million, but because the Air Force followed the traditional budget approach which fragments the program into segments financed by multiple appropriations, its presentation to the Appropriations Committee may not have focused attention on the magnitude of the total program.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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