Aircraft Development
Navy's Participation in Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter Program Gao ID: NSIAD-90-54 March 7, 1990Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined: (1) the Navy's involvement and financial participation in the Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter Program (ATF); and (2) aircraft design considerations to accommodate the Navy's requirements.
GAO found that: (1) the Navy's participation grew from monitoring early development efforts to establishing a program office and planning for contractor selection; (2) for fiscal years 1990 through 1994, the Navy budgeted a total of $724 million for the aircraft, and its spending to date has been for development of Navy requirements and designs; (3) the Air Force plans to begin full-scale development in July 1991; and (4) the Navy and Air Force requirements were not similar, but the engines, avionics, and subsystems were expected to have great commonality potential.