Missile Procurement

Limit Procurement of AMRAAMs Until the Missile's Lethality Is Improved Gao ID: NSIAD-92-243 July 30, 1992

The Air Force and the Navy have asked for more than $900 million in fiscal year 1993 to improve and continue procurement of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). Because of concerns about AMRAAM's lethality, the missile's effectiveness against enemy aircraft was reevaluated. As a result, 43 percent of the 15,450 AMRAAMs to be procured will boast improved warheads. Yet the accelerated schedule to introduce this upgrade involves significant risks, and there is a good chance that the program may slip, resulting in fewer improved missiles. Air Force officials said that the warhead improvements are needed in as many AMRAAMs as possible and that the number of improved AMRAAMs could be increased by retrofitting the missiles with the new warhead. In GAO's view, delaying procurement of the 581 missiles projected for fiscal year 1993 until the lethality improvements are incorporated in the production lines would yield more improved missiles. Moreover, limiting future procurements until the lethality improvements are incorporated in production missiles would result in more improved missiles, without the need for retrofitting.

GAO found that: (1) the total AMRAAM improvement program cost is estimated to be $446 million; (2) four areas earmarked for improvement are missile size, electronic counter countermeasures (ECCM), lethality, and propulsion; (3) the first phase of the improvement program is estimated to cost $197 million for ECCM improvements and greater fighter aircraft compatibility; (4) the second phase concentrates on warhead size, the fuze, ECCM, and the target detection device to improve lethality, at an estimated cost of $170 million; (5) cost estimates for the third phase total $79 million, for propulsion development and further ECCM improvements; (6) Air Force tests show lethality problems with the AMRAAM warhead and a need for improvements against advanced threats; (7) the acceleration of lethality improvements involves higher-risk advanced technologies due to a shorter warhead development schedule and retrofitting costs of $51,000 per missile; (8) the Air Force estimates that 43 percent, or 6,600 missiles, will include lethality improvements; and (9) delayed procurement would increase the number of missiles available and save about $30 million in retrofitting costs.

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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