UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES: DoD's Demonstration Approach Has Improved Project Outcomes.
Abstract
The Department of Defense (DOD) needs Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Since the end of the Vietnam War, DOD began at least nine UAV acquisition programs that were later canceled, spending $4 billion in the process. (See app. I.) In 1994, as part of its acquisition reform efforts, DOD adopted an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) strategy for assessing UAVs. 2 We reviewed current UAV projects to determine whether DOD's strategy of conducting ACTDs before developing and producing UAVs provides an improved knowledge base for making acquisition decisions. DOD has completed ACTD projects for the Predator and Outrider UAV systems and has an ongoing ACTD for the Global Hawk UAV. DOD terminated a fourth UAV project, DarkStar, before its ACTD was completed. The ACTD strategy of focusing on mature technology and proving military utility before committing to a UAV has expanded DOD's knowledge base, allowing it to make some well informed acquisition decisions. For example, when DOD began the Predator ACTD in 1994, the Predator was considered technologically mature because its design was based on an existing UAV the Gnat 750. Nevertheless, DOD still required that the Predator's performance be demonstrated. Prototypes of the Predator were deployed in Bosnia in 1995 and 1996, allowing users to determine whether the UAV would meet their needs. Only after this performance data was gathered and analyzed in 1997 was DOD willing to formally commit to the UAV's acquisition.3 In another case, the ACTD for the DarkStar UAV DOD
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 30, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA367307
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office