PAUL LEWIS / NASHVILLE
The US Army and Boeing Sikorsky have presented a proposed restructuring plan for the RAH-66 Comanche in what is considered to be their last attempt at fixing the troubled programme. With development costs doubling to $6.6 billion, and a string of delays, the US Department of Defense and Congress have become increasingly critical of any proposed programme.
"This is the sixth time we have restructured it, but it is the first time we've restructured to fix it," says Col Bob Birmingham, US Army RAH-66 programme manager. "We've laid out a plan that we feel is executable. The guidance we've had from the army was to fix it so you don't have to come back again. We have made sure we address every single one of the risks," he adds.
The first test comes this week when the proposals are presented to the Army Requirement Oversight Council, followed by the System Acquisition Review Council, and finally the Defense Acquisition Board, possibly as early as June. It calls for $3.4 billion of production funding to be diverted into system development and demonstration (SDD) allowing an initial Block 1 machine to enter operational service in September 2009, nine months later than last planned.
Birmingham says 75% of the extra SDD cost is covered by reducing low rate initial production (LRIP) numbers, and delaying LRIP start by 20 months to late 2007, while accelerating full rate production from 62 to 96 machines a year to complete the programme earlier than expected. This will still leave the army 126 Comanches short of its planned 1,213 buy unless another $1 billion is secured.
Around $1 billion in extra SDD funding will be used to reduce risk by adding system integration facilities, and extending engineering work and testing by 18 months. The number of development aircraft has been trimmed by two to 11, of which five will go to the army in late 2006 to begin training, while flight testing has been increased by around 50% to 9,000h.
Another $750 million of work, such as qualification and production readiness, has been moved into SDD, while the remaining additional money is accounted for by cost growth, introducing additional capabilities, such as Enhanced Position Location Reporting and level 4 unmanned air vehicle control, and rescheduling existing work to meet an iterative block fielding.
Block 1 includes the Longbow radar and TRW Integrated Communication Navigation and Identification System, but full sensor fusion, external weapons and extended range fuel systems await Block 2 in 2013.
There has also been an extensive overhaul of the Boeing Sikorsky joint venture, which has seen the strengthening of new management and system engineering.
Asked if the new plans represent the last chance for Comanche, Chuck Allen, Boeing SikorskyRAH-66 programme director replies: "If this team can't do it, it's just too hard to do."
Source: Flight International
