Budget

Army cancels 2 Boeing programs

Defense News reports that the Army is ordering Boeing to cancel two programs that tested poorly.

Federal News Network Staff

January 12, 2011 3:15 pm

< a min read

Boeing has been ordered to stop work immediately on a couple of Army programs – the Class-One Unmanned Aerial System (also called the Flying Beer Keg) and the Tactical and Urban Unattended Ground Sensors, Defense News reports.

They were both part of the Army’s Early-Infantry Brigade Combat Team program and overall modernization effort. Defense News says the stop-work order probably means the Army will recommend that acquisition chief Ashton Carter just cancel them. The Defense Acquisition Board had planned to review both of them today.

Both programs tested poorly on a couple of occasions. And Carter had said the systems needed to prove themselves before he would allow buying any future models.

The Army had planned to buy three sets under a low-rate of production and then many more under full-rate production. Now it may take some time to negotiate a termination fee with Boeing.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.