Apache Helicopter. Tests Results for 30-Millimeter Weapon System Inconclusive

The 30-millimeter area weapon system, one of the three mission-essential weapon systems on the Army's premiere attack helicopter, the AH-64 Apache, has experienced a history of reliability and accuracy problems. During Operation Desert Storm, for example, the 30-millimeter area weapon system on 18 Apaches malfunctioned and became inoperable while on an attack mission. Since the first Apache was delivered to the Army in 1984, the contractor had been unable to successfully demonstrate that the area weapon system could meet its endurance, reliability, and accuracy requirements. The Army, however, reported that the area weapon system successfully met these requirements in January 1992. The Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, requested that GAO review the Armys 1992 endurance, reliability, and accuracy tests for the area weapon system to determine whether the testing procedures and conditions resulted in sufficient information to fully assess these requirements.