Summary: GAO reviewed the Air Force's Wide Area Antiarmor Munitions (WAAM) program. WAAM is a family of area munitions being developed to provide the tactical air forces a multiple-kill capability against tanks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, and support vehicles.
The present WAAM program consists of the: (1) Antiarmor Cluster Munition, which is in full scale development; (2) Extended Range Antiarmor Munition, which recently completed the validation phase; and (3) Wasp, which is in its third year of the validation phase. GAO stated that the WAAM program may eventually provide the tactical air forces a class of weapons to combat superior numbers of ground forces. However, the Antiarmor Cluster Munitions program should be terminated. As designed, it will not provide the multiple kills per pass the tactical air forces need, and it is no better than inventory or near-term antiarmor weapons. GAO concluded that, while the Extended Range Antiarmor Munition and Wasp programs look promising, it is too early to forecast success for them. Before committing major funds to these programs, the Air Force should validate the critical technology and demonstrate that the operational techniques are feasible.
