Army Acquisition

The Javelin, a portable medium-range, antitank weapon system, is intended to be used by the Army and the Marine Corps in rapid deployment situations, rough terrain, and air assault operations. The Army plans to decide on low-rate initial production for the Javelin in April 1994. This briefing report discusses the Javelin's (1) cost and acquisition plan; (2) projected effectiveness in certain countermeasures and environments; (3) ability to identify friend from foe; and (4) training plan to enhance target reconciliation and identification capabilities.

GAO found that: (1) although the Army's acquisition cost for the Javelin is estimated to be $4.2 billion, total program costs could increase to $4.8 billion because fielding the Javelin could take up to 25 years; (2) the Army and Marine Corps have reduced system quantities by more than 40 percent; (3) system unit costs could increase by more than 150 percent and command and launch unit costs could increase by more than 360 percent because of acquisition delays; (4) the Office of the Secretary of Defense does not believe that funding will be available during the last 5 years of production; (5) although a Conference Committee report recommended that the Army reassess the Javelin's cost-effectiveness because of escalating costs, a new cost-effectiveness analysis has not been completed; (6) the Javelin may not be able to significantly improve the Army's antitank capability because it is not equipped to adequately counter some enemy countermeasures and differentiate between friend or foe; (7) the Javelin's threat identification capability is limited by the weather, the gunner's distance from the target, and the gunner's training; and (8) questions remain as to whether training will be adequate to prepare soldiers to acquire valid targets and identify friend from foe without additional equipment.