The total projected cost of F-22A fighter jet modernization efforts more than doubled since the program started and the schedule for delivering full capabilities slipped seven years, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released yesterday.
According to the report, F-22A Modernization Program Faces Cost, Technical and Sustainment Risks (GAO-12-447), since the F-22A modernization program started in 2004, the total projected cost has increased from $5.4 billion to $11.7 billion and the schedule for full capabilities slipped from 2010 to 2017. Officials underestimated the scope of the total program and the time and money that would eventually be needed to develop and field new capabilities, according to the report.
Visibility and oversight of the program’s cost and schedule is also hampered by a management structure that does not track and account for the full cost of specific capability increments, according to the report. GAO said it warned in a 2005 report that the service embarked on the modernization program without a knowledge-based business case to support the multi-billion dollar investment to significantly change the aircraft’s capabilities and missions.
The modernization program proceeded without establishing its own set of acquisition milestones and has not been subject to the same level of scrutiny by senior defense leaders or the performance reporting required of major defense acquisition programs as provided for in Defense Department acquisition policy, according to the report.
GAO recommends DoD evaluate capabilities to determine if future F-22A modernization efforts meeting DoD policy and statutory requirements should be established as separate major acquisition programs, each with its own milestones, business case and cost baseline that includes all applicable direct and indirect support costs required to complete the program, according to the report.
The report can be viewed at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/590593.pdf