Summary: During the Longbow Apache helicopter's ongoing engineering and manufacturing development phase, Defense Department (DOD) and acquisition officials have raised concerns about (1) the performance of the Longbow Hellfire missile against targets with multiple countermeasures, (2) the performance of the radar against stationary targets, and (3) the producibility of the missile's transceiver. The current Longbow Hellfire procurement plan is inadequate because it will procure about 3,200 missiles that are not required at an estimated total cost of between $540 million and $750 million. Moreover, a large number of missiles will be procured before Longbow Apache helicopters are available and will lose up to one-half of their shelflife. Although the Army recently agreed to conduct a Longbow Apache cost and operational effectiveness analysis for the milestone III production decision, the value of that analysis will be limited because of its timing and the Army's decision not to consider all attack helicopter alternatives, including the Comanche.
