Unmanned Aerial Vehicles DOD's Acquisition Efforts.

Abstract

I am pleased to be here today to briefly discuss the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) acquisition efforts that the Department of Defense (DoD) has undertaken over the past 15 years. My comments are based on our reviews of a number of UAV programs. After a short summary, I would like to present you with a chronological discussion of the descriptions and outcomes of some of these programs, and then provide you with some key observations about DoD'S UAV acquisition efforts. According to DoD, its objective in acquiring UAV's is to provide unmanned systems that will complement its mix of manned and national reconnaissance assets. However, its UAV acquisition efforts to date have been disappointing. Since Aquila began in 1979, of eight UAV programs, three have been terminated, three remain in development, and one is now transitioning to low rate production. Only one of the eight, Pioneer, has been fielded as an operational system. We estimate DoD has spent more than $2 billion for development and/or procurement on eight UAV programs over the past 18 years.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 09, 1997
Accession Number
ADA323870

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Contracts
  • Cost Estimates
  • Data Links
  • Defense Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Ground Control Stations
  • High Altitude
  • Radar
  • Reconnaissance
  • Remotely Piloted Vehicles
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Unmanned Systems

Readers

  • Aerial Unmanned Vehicle Swarm Micro Periodontal Dentistry.
  • Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs