Congress urged to address aging Defense helicopters

A Congressional Research Service study says lawmakers must grapple with modernizing the Pentagon's aging helicopter fleets, despite an increasingly anemic U.S. helicopter industrial base and the question of whether future programs will eliminate operational shortcomings evident in recent operations in Iraq.

The study, released late last week, suggests lawmakers will need to consider whether the Defense Department's plans should be modified or postponed to reduce costs-measures that could prove unpopular with the military services. Helicopter deliveries were cut almost in half during the 1990s, and many 1970s-era helicopters face obsolescence.

But the study notes that service-life extension programs and the pursuit of newer technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, offer potential cost-saving options. For example, the study raises questions as to the cost effectiveness of the proposed armed reconnaissance helicopter program.

The Army already has platforms which, when augmented by technologies from the canceled Comanche helicopter program, could meet this requirement, the study states. Examples include the Block III AH-64 Apache, the Fire Scout unmanned aerial rotorcraft and the Extended-Range Multi-Purpose UAV, "although the latter itself might face scrutiny as a new UAV program among the many that have been facing pressure to consolidate," according to the study.

Planned force structure cuts and aircraft consolidation also could reduce costs, though possibly at the expense of military readiness. The Navy, for example, plans to trim its helicopter fleet from seven different types to two, a move that could save $18 billion to $20 billion over two decades. But if inventory numbers decline as a result, spending on readiness may increase in order to maintain capability.

Another issue is how best to invest $14.6 billion left over from the Comanche helicopter cancellation earlier this year. The Army plans to use the money to modernize other helicopters in its fleet and build new ones, but some question whether the funds are adequate to subsidize the service's aviation ambitions.

It also remains unclear whether Congress will reallocate some or all of the Comanche funds to programs outside Army aviation. Lawmakers may have to consider alternative funding approaches, including leasing, to alleviate such budget tensions. Congress traditionally shuns such funding mechanisms because they limit lawmakers' flexibility and could preclude new options down the road.

But there are exceptions, including the "20/80" compromise negotiated between House and Senate conferees in the FY04 defense budget. That deal allows the Air Force to acquire 100 Boeing KC-767 refueling tankers through a combination lease and purchase.