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MASAD-82-9 1 (1981-12-16)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabcsr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE 1WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 MISSION ANALYSIS AND SYSTEMS ACQUISITION DIVISION B-205764 DECEMBER 16, 1981 The Honorable Caspar W. Weinberger The Secretary of Defense Attention: Assistant for Audit Reports 117078 Dear Mr. Secretary: Subject: Air Force Purchase of 30mm Gun Pod System (MASAD-82-9) We are concerned that the Air Force has entered into a highly concurrent development and production program for a 30mm gun pod when there appears to be a questionable urgency for it. The 30mm gun pod is a self-contained pneumatic driven four- barrel gun system to be externally mounted on high performance aircraft such as the F-4, A-7, and F-16. The system will also include an ammunition loading system. The weapon system is to provide the Tactical Air Force with an increased capability to attack numerous and varied ground targets and provide a low cost, low complexity alternative to several existing systems to meet near term requirements. In April 1980, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering, in an attempt to improve the antiarmor capability of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), requested that the Air Force undertake the development of a 30mm gun pod with a target initial operational capability date of June 19182, or at least, no later than fiscal year 1983. Having previously flight tested two engineering test pods in 1979, the Air Force in July 1980 entered into a full-scale development contract to correct problems identified in the tests. The contractor, General Electric Company, is to provide two pods in January 1982, and two in April 1982, for environmental, developmental, and opera- tional testing. In August 1981, the Air Force entered into a $32 million production contract for (40) 30mm gun pods. In November 1981, it exercised a $42 million option for 104 additional pods. With the environmental, developmental, and operational testing not scheduled to begin until January 1982, it would appear that the Air Force's action to enter into a production contract may have been premature. Further, certain events and plans for the gun pods raise questions about the urgency of this program. C:) \ I L3

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