Tank Recovery Vehicle: Status of Program Acquisition and Full-Scale Engineering Development
Abstract
This report responds to a Congressman's February 27, 1989, request that the General Accounting Office evaluate the Army's acquisition procedures for the procurement of a tank recovery vehicle. The report addresses his questions concerning (1) what criteria the Army used to make its selection of one of two competing vehicles; (2) whether the M88AlEl (the winning vehicle) meets the Army's established requirements for a recovery vehicle, as defined in its system specifications; (3) whether the Army's requirements are stringent enough to meet its mission needs; (4) whether tests of the vehicles were conducted realistically; and (5) how many of these vehicles the Army plans to buy and how much they will cost. The Army tested two competing recovery vehicles, one developed by the BMY Division of HARSCO Corporation and the other developed by the General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Division. Recovery vehicles are designed to maneuver with armored battalions and perform the three main functions of towing, lifting, and winching disabled tanks. The Army used six selection criteria to evaluate the two vehicle candidates. It tested the vehicles at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland, where the Army has attempted to approximate ground and terrain conditions generally found in Germany. The Army determined that both vehicles would meet its recovery vehicles requirements, but each had operational deficiencies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA210261
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office