Longbow Apache Fire Control Radar

GAO reviewed the Army's Longbow Apache modification program, focusing on the pending Longbow Apache fire control radar (FCR) lot II contract. GAO noted that: (1) it has several concerns about the performance of the FCR and planned award of the lot II contract; (2) GAO's work to date indicates that: (a) as currently configured, the transmitter in the FCR lot I and planned lot II procurements does not work properly in cold temperatures without time consuming and costly integration efforts being needed to marry two existing components to achieve the required power output; (b) the transmitter being procured in lots I and II may not be supportable in the future because a major supplier is discontinuing production and, beginning with the lot III procurement, the existing transmitter will be replaced with a new configuration; and (c) the Army plans to award a multiyear contract in December 1997 for the newly configured FCR to bring it in line with the previously awarded airframe multiyear contract, but the new transmitter is still under development and there have been schedule delays which could extend the contract award date; (3) because the Army has not stabilized the final FCR configuration, the lot II FCR will cost twice as much as originally planned, and two differently configured FCRs in the inventory will likely increase logistical support costs, the Department of Defense may wish to consider deferring the award of the lot II contract until these concerns are resolved; and (4) the FCR configuration needs to be stabilized before awarding the planned lot III multiyear contract.