Army Procurement

Costs and Benefits of Electronic and Mechanical Time Fuzes Gao ID: NSIAD-90-38 December 22, 1989

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the costs and benefits of the Army's M762 electronic time fuze and M557 mechanical time fuze.

GAO found that: (1) both fuzes were capable of satisfying the Army's artillery time fuze requirements; (2) the electronic time fuze could be set both manually and automatically and could be set manually without the use of a tool, but its autoset capability could not be utilized because current artillery systems did not use autoset fuzes; (3) the mechanical fuze was economical, safe, and reliable, and current manufacturers could produce them in higher quantities than the Army's stated annual requirements; (4) during the first 3 years of production, the M762 fuze would cost more than the M577 fuze; and (5) the Army's stated requirements for artillery time fuzes for fiscal year (FY) 1990 could be met with mechanical fuzes for considerably less than the $54.9 million included in its FY 1990 budget request for the procurement of electronic fuzes.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.