Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Progress Toward Meeting High Altitude Endurance Aircraft Price Goals

摘要

Section 216 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 directed us to review the Department of Defense's (DOD) High Altitude Endurance (HAE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program to determine whether the average flyaway cost for the Global Hawk and DarkStar HAE alr vehicles will be within DOD's cost goal of $10 million As agreed with your office, this report addresses the status of DOD'S progress toward meeting its goal as the HAE program proceeds through its ongoing demonstration phase. DOD does not expect to be able to produce DarkStar or Global Hawk HAE vehicles within its goal of $10 million per unit in fiscal year 1994 dollars. DOD'S price projections, which updated the original estimates of $10 million, are currently $13.7 million for DarkStar and $14.8 million for Global Hawk, In addition, these projections may understate the actual amount by which the UAV'5 unit price will exceed $10 million because in their agreements with the HAE contractors, program officials used a defamation of unit flyaway price that excludes several cost categories that are traditionally included in determining unit flyaway cost. Including these costs will increase the average unit price of each air vehicle. United States General Accounting Office Washington, D.C. 20548 National Security and International Affairs Division B-280126 December 15, 1998 Congressional Committees Section 216 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Iliscal Year 1998 directed us to review the Department of Defense's (DOD) High Altitude Endurance (HAE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAv) program to determine whether the average flyaway cost for the Global Hawk and DarkStar HAE alr vehides will be within DOD's cost goal of $10 million.1 As agreed with your office, this report addresses the status of DOD'S progress toward meeting it.