Low Rate Initial Production in Army Aviation systems development

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze DoD's use of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) on selected Army Aviation programs within the acquisition life cycle of weapon systems development. A comparative analysis is conducted on the selected programs concentrating on significant issues which affect the use of LRIP. The thesis focuses on the preproduction phases of the acquisition process, the organizations that influence LRIP policies and future trends in procurement policy. The research includes an examination of the AH-64 Longbow Apache, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, the MH-47 and the EH-60 Special Operations Aircraft and the RAH-66 Comanche. This thesis concludes that premature entry into LRIP is a systemic deficiency in acquisition oversight which leads to a proliferation in the required number of LRIP systems. A recommendation to overcome this deficiency and obtain a more accurate number is to identify the three LRIP quantity determination elements separately. This would provide the Milestone II Decision Authority more accurate data with which to render a decision