Thursday
May 20, 1999 :
RAH-66 Program, Army sign pre-production MOU
PHILADELPHIA ( Sikorsky Press Release ) -
The Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche Joint Program Office and the U.S. Army have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that defines the Comanche program's Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase and establishes an innovative working partnership
between the Army and the contracting team.
The MOU calls for ". . . a cultural change in the way Comanche requirements are
communicated, in the way Boeing Sikorsky implements these requirements, and in the
way and time frame in which the Pre-Production Program (PPP) proposal and
resultant Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) program contract is
prepared, evaluated, negotiated and awarded."
Speaking for the Comanche Team, Arthur W. Linden, vice president and director,
Boeing Sikorsky Joint Program Office, said, "This MOU is really a reflection of the
close working relationship we have with our U.S. Army customer. We plan to meet or
exceed all the program requirements on performance, cost and schedule, and
formalizing that commitment is an expression of our confidence in our team members,
suppliers, customers and evaluators that they will ensure Comanche is remembered in
the future as a paradigm of successful defense procurement."
Brig. Gen. Joseph Bergantz, the Army Comanche Program Manager, said, "Using
Alpha contracting over the last several months has saved the Army considerable time
and significant funding by not requiring a formal proposal board and a traditional
evaluation."
The agreement reflects maximum focus on acquisition streamlining, maintaining the
innovative Integrated Product Team (IPT) process used throughout the program,
facilitate communication processes, and promote increased teamwork between
Boeing Sikorsky and its government customers.
The Comanche team has agreed to complete the PPP program in fiscal year 2006 at
a total cost of $3.598 billion.
Features of the Comanche PPP program are:
Design and fabrication of 13 new Comanche helicopters with production Mission
Equipment Package (MEP) capability from FY 2003 through FY 2005 for Army
experiments and further operational test and evaluation;
Accelerated Comanche fire control radar development from RAH-66 production
Lot 6 in FY 2010 to initial operational capability (IOC) aircraft, fielded in FY 2006;
A Defense Department Milestone II EMD decision accelerated 19 months to
March 2000;
Simulation tools suitable for analysis of the Comanche's full capabilities for
development of operational tactics, techniques and procedures based on full
functionality; and
Risk reduction in such developmental areas as the aircraft's helmet, software and
Electro-Optical Sensor System (EOSS) to optimize program efforts within
available funding levels.
The RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance helicopter is under development for
the U.S. Army by a team headed by The Boeing Company and Sikorsky Aircraft
Corporation., a subsidiary of United Technologies.
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