Navy Aviation: V-22 Development--Schedule Extended, Performance Reduced,
and Costs Increased (Letter Report, 01/13/94, GAO/NSIAD-94-44).

Major elements of the Navy's V-22 Osprey remain inadequate or untested
after eight years of development.  In May 1986, the Navy anticipated
full-scale development of the V-22 to be completed in June 1992 at a
total cost of $1.8 billion.  In October 1992, when the full-scale
development contract was terminated, the V-22 had been in development
for six years at a cost of $2 billion.  Even so, the V-22 was more than
3,500 pounds heavier than its specifications called for, which limited
its operational capabilities.  Design and operational work was not
completed on such critical components as the wing, the main landing
gear, flight controls, and the rotor drive system.  The price tag for
purchasing each of the tilt-rotor aircraft, which are designed to take
off and land like helicopters and to fly like fixed-wing planes, could
reach $64 million.  GAO recommends that the Navy use more-realistic
capability assumptions in its new cost, operational, and effectiveness
analysis of the V-22 variant and the helicopter alternatives.  GAO also
recommends that if the V-22 variant is chosen as a cost-effective
candidate, the Navy eliminate or significantly reduce the overlap in its
development and production to ensure that operational requirements are
met before procurement funds are requested or a commitment is made to
production.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  NSIAD-94-44
     TITLE:  Navy Aviation: V-22 Development--Schedule Extended, 
             Performance Reduced, and Costs Increased
      DATE:  01/13/94
   SUBJECT:  Naval aircraft
             Short takeoff/landing aircraft
             Vertical takeoff/landing aircraft
             Helicopters
             Aircraft research
             Cost effectiveness analysis
             Aircraft components
             Defense capabilities
             Naval aviation
             Testing
IDENTIFIER:  V-22 Aircraft
             Osprey Aircraft
             CH-46 Helicopter
             
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