Poster
07-23-2004, 10:42 AM
The U.S. Army has increased the cost of its Future Combat System by an additional $20-$25 billion in order to accelerate the technology of model drones, unmanned vehicles, and “smart” munitions. The program was originally estimated to cost $92 billion, and is designed to replace the current fleet with a mix of high-tech manned and unmanned ground and aerial vehicles. The project will also allow soldiers to use a complex wireless network to obtain information on the battlefield.
“Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker acknowledged the challenges Wednesday, telling Congress that as originally structured the program had only a 28 percent chance of success. The revisions boost its chances to more than 70 percent, he said.”
Chicago-based Boeing, which serves at the lead manager of the program, said the changes were good news. "Now we have to show the flexibility to get these new capabilities to our soldiers even faster," Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's vice president and general manager of the project, said in a statement.
For more information see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7114-2004Jul22.html
“Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker acknowledged the challenges Wednesday, telling Congress that as originally structured the program had only a 28 percent chance of success. The revisions boost its chances to more than 70 percent, he said.”
Chicago-based Boeing, which serves at the lead manager of the program, said the changes were good news. "Now we have to show the flexibility to get these new capabilities to our soldiers even faster," Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's vice president and general manager of the project, said in a statement.
For more information see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7114-2004Jul22.html