Pentagon cancels multi-billion dollar helicopter contract

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Pentagon cancels multi-billion dollar helicopter contract

The Pentagon on Monday announced the cancellation of a multi-billion dollar Comanche helicopter program, citing cost consideration and changed operational environment.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The Pentagon on Monday announced the cancellation of a multi-billion dollar Comanche helicopter program, citing cost consideration and changed operational environment.

At a Pentagon news briefing, Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee said the Army recommended the cancellation of the 38-billion-dollar program as the result of a study initiated within the Army several months ago.

"This study reflects the lessons learned and experiences gainedby the Army's recent two-and-a-half years of combat in the global war on terror as well as the operational environments envisioned in the foreseeable future," he said.

President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had approved the recommendation he made along with Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker, he said.

The RAH-66 Comanche attack helicopter project, launched in 1983,was designed to collect battlefield intelligence and attack enemy forces. The Pentagon has already spent about 8 billion dollars on it.

But changes in requirements have pushed the cost of the twin-engine aircraft higher and the program encountered many setbacks.

The latest schedule called for the initial production to begin in 2006 and full production in 2009.

The project became a target of critics also because new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have gained popularity in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they were used to collect and distribute battlefield intelligence.

It is expected that the UAVs will eventually be able to performattack missions.

Analysts here said the cancellation of the contract would be a blow to one of the two main contractors, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. But Boeing Co., the other contractor, could benefit because its Apache helicopter program might get fully funded.

The scrapping of the Comanche program came less than two years after the Pentagon killed the 11-billion-dollar Crusader artilleryproject in spite of objections from the Army.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Chinese language losing popularity in Singapore ( 5 Messages)

Chinese students studying in US express concern over Taiwan issue in letter to Powell ( 6 Messages)

Bin Laden cornered in Pakistan's northwest ( 2 Messages)

China suspends crude oil exports to Japan ( 4 Messages)

When will the Immolation between the Jews and the Arabs Come to an End? ( 2 Messages)