Gates wants to restructure Army FCS program

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says his department should eliminate the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) armored vehicles program in favor of a competition to supply new vehicles, reports Defense News.

Gates revealed his FCS preference amid numerous other recommendations for cuts and changes to weapon programs, according to the publication. The recommendations will go the White House as its shapes the 2010 budget request to Congress.

Gates also recommended that:

● The Air Force cap its F-22 Raptor program at 187 jets.

● DOD accelerate the F-35 Lightning II strike fighter program.

● The Navy cap its DDG 1000 program at three ships, while restarting the DDG 51 efforts by Northrop Grumman Corp.

● The Air Force kill the second Airborne Laser airplane while keeping the first one for research-and-development work.

● The Navy terminate the VH-71 presidential helicopter.

Gates said the FCS vehicles, which are being designed to avoid attacks rather than withstand them, were not geared to deal with combat of the sort taking place in southwestern Asia. He left the door open for redesigned FCS armored vehicles to emerge in the months and years ahead.

“I have concluded that there are significant unanswered questions concerning the FCS vehicle design strategy,” Gates said in his briefing. “I am also concerned that, despite some adjustments, the FCS vehicles — where lower weight, higher fuel efficiency, and greater informational awareness are expected to compensate for less armor — do not adequately reflect the lessons of counterinsurgency and close quarters combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Gates also said he was troubled by the terms of the current FCS contract because of its “very unattractive fee structure that gives the government little leverage to promote cost efficiency.” He said the department needs more confidence in the program strategy, requirements and maturity of the technologies before continuing further with the program.

Gates said the FCS spin-out technologies would remain on schedule for a 2011 delivery. The spinouts include communications for individual soldiers, small robots, small unmanned aerial vehicles, small sensors and guided rockets.

Boeing Co. and Science Applications International Corp. are the lead systems integrators for the $87 billion FCS program.