When looking at the circumstances of this helicopter in this way, it is clear that things could have been different if only the development time had been much shorter. Secondly, a new alternative to the aircraft’s reconnaissance tasks was developed in the form of unmanned airplanes, which are still used a lot for this purpose. These cut backs must be seen in the context of a time period in which the cold war was coming to an end. This led to a huge price increase per machine. First, during the development years, several governments cut back on the planned number of orders. As well as the 'function creep' already mentioned, there are other factors that also contributed to this failure. At the beginning of 2004, 13 years after the start of the project and with about 7 billion dollars spent, the US army pulled the plug on the project. To some this is one of the main reasons why the project was finally halted. This process took many years, during which the US army asked for new features to be incorporated into the design. The team developed an advanced helicopter with stealth properties and state-of-the-art sensor technology in order to fulfil its surveillance role well. Later, the objectives of the task were changed to deliver a surveillance helicopter. Development of the aircraft was commenced by the Boeing-Sikorsky collaboration when, in 1991, it won a US army contest to develop a light attack helicopter. Capable of pursuing and attacking others, this machine would have been outstanding in finding targets deep in the battle field and pointing them out to the Apache longbow attack helicopter. It should have been the invisible stealth craft that was able to surprise friend and foe. The same is true for the advanced and unfortunate Boeing-Sikorsky Comanche helicopter. The helicopter has been identified as a “complementary” program to the ArmyÃs Future Combat Systems, meaning it must effortlessly interface with and add to the capabilities of the equipment for the future, joint force.Every industry has its own failures. Four engineering and manufacturing development RAH-66 helicopters are in production as of January 2004, with the first to be flying in less than 18 months. The Army in late February 2004 terminated the Comanche program, and pledged to use the funds saved from the termination to implement modernization of existing helicopters and perhaps unmanned aerial vehicles. There is no known foreign counterpart to the next-generation helicopter. There are no foreign participants in the program or planned sales to other nations at this time. In October, 2002, restructuring the program, the PentagonÃs acquisition chief determined that the Army should buy 650 of the helicopters, with a production decision slated for the first quarter of 2010. The helicopter is expected to do this day and night and in bad weather using digital communications to be part of the future joint network of ground, air and space systems. The helicopter is designed to expand the ArmyÃs ability to conduct reconnaissance, deep, precision strike missions against time-sensitive targets and provide direct support to maneuvering forces. The Comanche is intended to replace the current fleet of Bell Helicopter Textron OH-58 helicopters in all air cavalry troops and light division attack helicopter battalions, and supplement the Boeing AH-64 Apache in heavy division/corps attack helicopter battalions. The armed reconnaissance Comanche helicopter is an all-composite, low-observable, twin-turbine, tandem two-seat helicopter with projected missions of armed reconnaissance, light attack and air combat.
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