ARH-70A Unit Cost Tops $11 million

Though they complained about a $10 million price tag for the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, Army leaders might have done well to take that price. The latest U.S. review of the Bell Helicopter ARH-70A program puts the flyaway cost for each of the projected 512 aircraft at $11.188 million. A year ago, Army and Bell officials were wrangling over where the $10 million figure came from and why it was so high; the unit price in mid-2005 was $9.26 million. According to the General Accountability Office, which did the latest review, R&D costs for the program to replace aging Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warriors has jumped 93.4 percent since mid-’05 (to $750.9 million) and procurement costs climbed nearly 65 percent (to $4.98 billion). For related news
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