Special Operations Forces: Army Plans Highly Concurrent Acquisition Strategy for Costly Helicopters.

摘要

This report evaluates cost, schedule, and test plans for the Army's special operations forces (SOF) helicopter program. Specifically, we reviewed (1) the Army's planned concurrency of prototype and operational testing with helicopter production and (2) current cost estimates for the program. The Army plans to award full-rate production contracts for SOF helicopters before it completes developmental testing and before it completes operational testing. In fact, the Army plans to have about 90 percent of its SOF helicopters either delivered or in production before the completion of operational testing.