Battlefield Automation

More Testing and Analysis Needed Before Production of Air Defense Radar Gao ID: NSIAD-93-175 July 30, 1993

The Army's Forward Area Air Defense System will rely on ground-based sensors to track and target enemy aircraft. If a production decision on low-rate initial production of the ground-based sensors is made as scheduled, the Army will be committing to the acquisition of an unproven system that may be unjustified. The Army will not have completed enough testing to verify that the ground-based sensor will work as intended. The Army will also not have done an analysis justifying the sensor as the best cost alternative for meeting air defense requirements before a production decision is made. Although the Pentagon has delayed funding for the ground-based sensor until fiscal year 1995, GAO urges that sufficient testing and an operational effectiveness analysis be done before any production decision is made.

GAO found that: (1) the Army plans to make a low-rate initial production decision on the $540-million FAADS GBS even though it has not completed critical developmental testing, tested the system's integration and operation within its supporting command, control, and communications structure, or completed the required cost and operational effectiveness analysis (COEA); (2) the Army's COEA has been suspended because of uncertainties regarding potential enemy threat, future budget resources, and other terminated or unfunded FAADS materiel programs; (3) the Army plans to reexamine the strategic concept behind FAADS to determine the actual level of air support needed in the forward area; (4) the Army believes an initial production decision is needed because of a perceived gap in forward area radar coverage for heavy divisions; and (5) the Department of Defense has decided to delay the $43-million allocation for FAADS production until 1995 in an effort to cut military spending and allow initial operational and integration testing to be completed.

Recommendations

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