Weapons Acquisitions: Guided Weapon Plans Need to Be Reassessed
Abstract
Guided weapons can be delivered more accurately to a target than unguided weapons because they have the capability for in-flight guidance correction. The choice of a specific guided weapon depends on the type of target, the target's distance from the launching platform, and the target's location. Following the Persian Gulf War, DOD identified a number of improvements to its weapons that could increase the effectiveness of U.S. forces. These improvements were needed to ensure target destruction and yet minimize the number of missions and weapons used, unwanted collateral damage, and exposure of friendly aircraft to enemy defenses. Thus, in the 1990s, the services initiated several programs to upgrade existing weapons and produce new guided weapons. The acquisition programs now underway are expected to cost about $16.6 billion (then-year dollars) from fiscal year 1998 to 2007. These programs would almost double the existing inventory of guided weapons through the acquisition of 158,800 new guided weapons. For about 127,000 of the new guided weapons to be acquired, a guidance kit will be added to an existing unguided weapon. In 1997, DOD released the results of a congressionally directed study on the size and mix of its deep attack weapons and subsequently issued its Quadrennial Defense Review, which based its recommendations on the study's results.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA358028
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office