Longbow Apache Helicopter

The Army plans to spend about $5.4 billion to modify 227 AH-64 Apache helicopters into Longbow Apache helicopters. The modifications include the addition of a new radar technology designed to increase the Apache's ability to destroy tanks and other enemy equipment. As presently planned, the Longbow Apache schedule should allow for the orderly development of technology and provides decision points for assessing programs on the basis of test information and other developments. The Army's challenge will be to keep the program focused on developing the necessary technology, while carefully weighing funding cuts and the impact of any deviations from planned actions. Although the Army is committed to acquiring a supportable Longbow Apache, weaknesses in the program's requirements may preclude an accurate assessment of the support the helicopter will require when fielded. While indicating that more comprehensive requirements will be used for the Longbow system, the Army plans to use the same narrowly defined requirements to measure the reliability of the integrated aircraft as it used in evaluating the Apache. Doing so will yield the same results as it did with the Apache--a technologically imbalanced helicopter that is inadequately supported. Similarly, the Army does not plan to measure required maintenance man-hours that fully reflect the Longbow Apache's expected maintenance needs. The Army plans to measure maintenance man-hours for the Longbow Apache in the same way it did for the Apache. In the case of the Apache, its true maintenance needs were masked, and Army maintenance units were understaffed.

GAO found that: (1) as presently planned, the Longbow Apache schedule should allow for the orderly development of technology and provides decision points for assessing progress based on test information and other developments; (2) acquisition plan features intended to minimize risk and avoid past problems included minimal concurrency between development and production, better-quality and more frequent testing, a low-rate initial production phase, and a program baseline and exit criteria to help assess the program's progression; (3) although the Army established more comprehensive reliability requirements for the Longbow section of the Longbow Apache, it did not include those measures in the requirements document or program baseline for the integrated aircraft; (4) Army plans to use outdated and narrowly defined requirements to measure the Longbow Apache's reliability, availability, and maintainability could yield a technologically enhanced helicopter that is not adequately supported in the field; and (5) if the Army continues to use this flawed measure, it may not be prepared to keep pace with the Longbow Apache's maintenance work load because it will not have enough maintenance personnel.

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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