WASHINGTON Army cancels program for Comanche copter

The Army said it will redirect the money to an overhaul of its aviation system.
WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON -- The Army canceled development of the $39 billion Comanche helicopter program Monday after 21 years of escalating costs, technological glitches and redesigns failed to produce a single operational aircraft.
The Comanche, once billed as a cornerstone of the military's high-tech transformation, had consumed $6.9 billion. The estimated cost of each aircraft had soared to $53 million from an original target of $8 million, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"It's had a long and troubled history," said Marcus Corbin, a senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information.
Acknowledging that the Comanche no longer fit into the requirements of the current battlefield, the Army said it would rather spend the money on an overhaul of its aviation system. If approved by Congress, the funds would be directed to buying new helicopters, modernizing the current fleet, enhancing the air capabilities of the National Guard and reserves and accelerating the development of unmanned aerial vehicles.
"It's about fixing Army aviation," said Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff. "It's a big decision. We know it's a big decision, but it's the right decision."
Second in two years
The program's demise -- one of the largest program cancellations in Pentagon history -- marks the second time in less than two years that a major Army weapons system has been eliminated.
In 2002, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld canceled the mobile Crusader artillery system, which was seen as an $11 billion Cold War relic. The Crusader's cancellation came over the objections of the Army's leaders. But the Army's leadership initiated the cutback of the Comanche after a six-month study that assessed the Army's aviation capabilities.
The end of the Comanche also reflects an acknowledgment by the Pentagon that it simply cannot afford all the programs it wants. The move underscores the fact that the Pentagon must begin economizing as the federal budget deficit widens and demands on military spending grow, industry analysts said.
The Army would have spent $14 billion on the Comanche program through 2011 without getting aircraft significantly more capable than the upgraded Apaches it already plans to buy, Army officials said.
Where funds will go
The Army intends to use the Comanche funds to buy nearly 800 new helicopters, including Apaches and Blackhawks. The money will also be used to modernize 1,400 current helicopters, establish three new helicopter programs and accelerate the development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology.
The Comanche is "no longer consistent with the changed operational environment," said Les Brownlee, acting secretary of the Army.
The Comanche was envisioned as a flying data center and gunship capable of receiving battlefield information and attacking enemy targets itself or calling in reinforcements. Many of the Comanche's tasks can now be performed by unmanned aerial vehicles, effectively eliminating its usefulness in the military of the future.
"It took so long to get into production it was simply overtaken by new threats and new capabilities," said Loren B. Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute. "There are other ways of doing those jobs, and those ways have stronger support."
Lawmakers representing Connecticut, where the Comanche was being built, reacted angrily to the cancellation.
"I am outraged by the Army's decision to terminate the Comanche program given that the Army has long argued that it is a critical weapons system that plays a pivotal role in our military's transformation," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn. "What has changed? And how does the Army plan to make up for the Comanche's lost capabilities?"