Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the joint-service Medium-Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program and the effects of the Advance Tactical Air Reconnaissance System (ATARS) and the Joint Service Imagery Processing System in determining why the ATARS payload would not fit in Medium-Range UAV.
GAO found that: (1) in developing Medium-Range UAV for common service, the Department of Defense (DOD) found that the ATARS payload did not fit in UAV; (2) the program goals of having a common service UAV, reconnaissance payload, and imagery processing system for UAV and manned aircraft could be undermined if the ATARS payload problem goes unsolved; (3) an alternative payload planned by the Navy would not meet Air Force requirements and would not be compatible with the Joint Services Imagery Processing System; (4) the Air Force's failure to coordinate adequately with the Medium-Range UAV Program Office and control the size of the reconnaissance payload resulted in the ATARS payload fit problem; and (5) the UAV program encountered other problems, including airframe structural deterioration, launch system unreliability, ocean recovery, an inaccurate navigation system, and other problems.
