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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0116.PDF
HEADLINES Pentagon considers alternatives to A-12 BY KIERAN DALY IN WASHINGTON D.C. The Pentagon is studying US Navy alternatives to the A-12 carrier-borne strike air craft following the programme's surprise cancellation by defence secretary Dick Cheney. Cheney had been expected to cut the planned total procurement of 620 aircraft to keep it line with the probable reduction in the Navy's carrier fleet to 12 vessels. After hearing final arguments from the contractors and the Navy Cheney waited until Wall Street closed on 7 January to announce: "This programme cannot be sustained unless I ask Congress for more money and bail the contractors out. No one can tell me exactly how much more it will cost to keep this programme going. If we cannot spend the taxpayers' money wisely, we will not spend it." Cheney accused contractors McDonnell Douglas (MDC) and General Dynamics (GD) of being in default of their fixed- price $4.77 billion development contract. The Pentagon says $1.2 billion worth of goods and services have been received' from the contractors but esti mates that development would have taken $7.5 billion in total to complete. The behind- schedule aircraft was due to fly at the end of this year. The default accusation, if sustained, means that the contractors are responsible for winding-up costs, and would be responsible for the costs of the Department of Defense (DoD) reprocuring A-12 from another contractor — if that was done. MDC and GD have filed claims against the DoD for $1.4 billion with $200 million more to follow which, they say, ac counts for overruns they were "forced" into by the contract terms. Cheney says he accepts that an aircraft with "stealth technol ogy" is still needed for the role. The Navy's alternatives include reprocuring the A-12; a new- start aircraft; further extending the A-6 life; and developing either the F-18 or the F-14. Cheney consigns A-12 to development scrapheap as competition to find successor begins Reprocurement is unlikely, and a new start would probably face insurmountable opposition in a Congress where the A-12 news was widely welcomed. None of the remaining alterna tives comes close to the A-12 capability, particularly in stealth terms, but the downgrading of the Soviet threat makes them more acceptable. The US Air Force has already pointed out that the B-2 can fulfill a similar role from land bases, particularly against pow ers which may have relatively advanced defences but negligi ble long-range surveillance. Grumman's A-6 is reaching the end of its fatigue life, but a Boeing programme to re-wing the aircraft with composite units adds 8,800h, or about 15 years, to its life. The Boeing contract covers 183 aircraft, with more likely to follow. The Navy declines to discuss possible A-12 alternatives, but confirms that studies were al ready under way to upgrade the A-6's electronic-warfare and weapon systems to cater for A-lz delays. Grumman has also been "engaged in company- funded nefforts to extend the life and capability of the F-14. Three aircraft are under study, beginning with a strike version of the F-14D which could be ready by 1993; the Super Tomcat 21 with new en gines by around 1996; and the Advanced Strike Fighter 14 for the end of the decade. Tomcat 21 is intended as an alternative to the naval variant of the Ad vanced Tactical Fighter (ATF), but in its most capable form overlaps the A-12 role. Grum man has been working on cut ting the aircraft's radar cross- section. McDonnell Douglas would offer the F-18E/F with increased range and payload and up graded radar. The F-18C/D is already used in an A-6-type role but suffers from lack of range. The F-18E/F would carry 28% (or 1,360kg) more fuel inter nally in a lm-long fuselage plug to increase its potential range by up to 40%. • Contractors plan appeal as layoffs follow cancellation General Dynamics (GD) and McDonnell Douglas (MDC) laid off a total of some 9,000 workers immediately following the A-12 cancella tion announcement. General Dynamics says about 4,000 workers will go at Fort Worth and Tulsa, and McDonnell Douglas expects 3,000 to leave now with up to 2,000 to follow. General Elec tric (GE), manufacturer of the F412-400 engine planned to be used in the A-12, declines to comment on a report that it may lose 1,000 to 1,500 staff at its Lynn site near Boston. The effect on GE is unpre dictable because it makes the engines for the F-14 and F-18, which may benefit from the cancellation. Thousands of jobs among other subcontrac tors are also at risk. The stock value of both prime contra ctors dropped sharply on the cancellation news, although GD, which has already made provision for a $450 million write-off on the programme, suffered less badly than MDC, which is banking on recover ing some losses from the Navy. The companies are now con sidering whether to pursue remedies through the Armed Services Board of Appeals or through the courts. Cheney says he has no intention of compensating the team. GD says that, in the final days before Cheney's decision, "We made what we consider to be an extremely generous offer as a team. We were going to make generous financial con cessions. We would assume $1.5 billion in cost overruns including one-third in full scale development and Lot 1 production, and another $1 billion in the out years. "What went wrong was the nature of the contract. A fixed- price development contract is inappropriate as a vehicle to try to develop technologies and supporting activities on something like A-12." • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11 January, 1991
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