US companies settle 23-year-old dispute with the Navy over an uncreated attack aircraft

The US companies Boeing and General Dynamics settled a dispute with the US Navy regarding the unfinished project of the deck assault aircraft A-12 Avenger II, which lasted from the year 1991. According to Reuters, the companies announced their intention to pay the Navy, in whose interests A-1980 was developed at the end of 12, for 200 million dollars. Payments will be made by products of enterprises. Companies have not yet commented on an agreement with the military.

The achievement of Boeing and General Dynamics agreement with the US Navy announced the Ministry of Justice. The enterprises agreed to withdraw their claims to the US government, the Department of Defense and the Navy, according to which they demanded the preservation of the funds already received for the development of A-12 and another billion dollars as a penalty for breaking the contract. Under the new agreement, Boeing will supply the EA-18G Growler three electronic warfare aircraft to the US Navy for free, while General Dynamics will deliver the 200 million dollars for the construction of the Zumwalt-type destroyer for free.

The US Navy Command signed contracts for the development of a promising ground-attack attack aircraft A-12 in 1984. The agreements were signed with the McDonnell Douglas / General Dynamics and Northrop / Grumman / Vought consortia. The creation of the aircraft was held in the form of a tender, the victory in which was won by the consortium McDonnell Douglas / General Dynamics. Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium was to create a deck assault aircraft with the use of stealth technologies no later than 1994 for an amount of no more than 4,8 billion dollars.

McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics failed to cope with the first stages of development in time. In addition, the final cost of A-12 increased from the original 84 million dollars to 165 million. 7 January 1991, the US Department of Defense closed the Avenger II project as costly and unpromising. By this time, businesses received 2,68 billion dollars to develop the aircraft, while spending on the project 3,88 billion dollars. In the middle of 1991, companies filed a lawsuit against the military, demanding a penalty for early termination of the contract.

In the course of the proceedings, the US Navy made demands on companies to pay 1,35 a billion dollars spent on a contract that they could not cope with. Since the end of 1990, McDonnell Douglas has represented the Boeing concern in court as a successor, swallowing the company. In 2011, the US Supreme Court attempted to end the protracted legal proceedings. According to the court, the US Navy was forbidden to demand a refund for Avenger II from Boeing and General Dynamics, and companies ─ penalties from the military. However, disputes between the military and companies about the failed project continued.

A-12, made according to the “flying wing” scheme, was supposed to reach speeds of up to 930 kilometers per hour and fly thousands of kilometers to 1,5. The plane was supposed to get a folding wing. Armament was planned to be placed in the internal bomb bay. The maximum mass of weapons should not exceed 2,3 tons. On the basis of the Avenger II was planned to create a whole family of combat aircraft for the Navy, Marines and the US Air Force. In total, the military intended to acquire 1258 new aircraft.

During the entire development of the A-12, not a single flight prototype has been created. The only mass-dimensional layout of the Avenger II was declassified in 1996 year and exhibited for public viewing at the former US Navy base "Carswell". According to one version, it was the closure of the Avenger II project that caused substantial financial losses for McDonnell Douglas and the takeover of the company by the Boeing concern.

Comments

[RUSS]

I just want to say, "Well, that Danila does not come out with a stone flower?"

[AVV]

Quote: RUSS

I just want to say, "Well, that Danila does not come out with a stone flower?"

Probably a stone deck, it will be more exact !!!

[kind]

And he answered, strainingly: "It comes out. Through the ass"!

[sinukvl]

The main thing is not to create a plane, the main thing is to skillfully throw dust in the eyes. Well, out of the loop, the money allocated for the creation of the aircraft scroll. And will they still teach us how to live?

[lelikas]

It’s a pity that it didn’t work out - such a blow to the budget was ruined.

[rolik]

Quote: lelikas

It’s a pity that it didn’t work out - such a blow to the budget was ruined.

And they have already fixed everything))))) the story does not resemble anything ??? Especially these lines: The weapons were planned to be placed in the internal bomb bay. The maximum mass of weapons should not exceed 2,3 tons. On the basis of Avenger II, it was planned to create a whole family of combat aircraft for the Navy, Marines and the US Air Force. In total, the military intended to acquire 1258 new aircraft.
And all this reminds me of F-35)))))
Only now they are operating with orders of magnitude higher, but the output is almost the same))))))))

[Hammer]

Quote: rolik

And all this reminds me of F-35)))))
Only now they are operating with orders of magnitude higher, but the output is almost the same))))))))

Exactly. Why bargain for trifles, if you can cut down some big money.
Here is such a cut / rollback in the American way ... our bureaucrats still need to learn from the overseas "brothers" the ability to cut the state. budget.

[abrakadabre]

They wanted to build according to the "flying wing" scheme, but it turned out according to the "flightless wing" scheme

[upasika1918]

As always, the lawyers of the parties won, but the golden trickle has not dried up. Someone has to monitor the implementation of the judgment. And lo and behold, you can sue for the same "Zumwalt" or the aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford".

[Andrei from Chelyabinsk]

Quote: upasika1918

As always, the lawyers of the parties won.

I recall a joke. Terrorists hijacked an American plane jammed with American lawyers. After that, the terrorists put forward their demands and promised that if their demands are not satisfied, they will start releasing one lawyer every hour ...

[major071]

The only thing that surprised me in this article (well, apart from the embarrassed airplane) was that the Navy achieved a refund through 23 (!) Of the year. It would be good for our masters to learn how to do this from defense, otherwise the money will go somewhere, and no one will be responsible for it.

[Stiletto]

“Based on the Avenger II, it was planned to create a whole family of combat aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps and the US Air Force. In total, the military intended to purchase 1258 new aircraft. "

Well, brothers, remind me who here lamented that we have only eight prototypes of the T-50 PAK FA flying, and the United States will have built two thousand two FU-35 ?!

[Roman Skomorokhov]

And what is the difference between WILL BE BUILT and FLYS?

It seems like 8 aircraft, no?

[Stiletto]

Quote: Banshee

And what is the difference between WILL BE BUILT and FLYS?

We have eight "honest" prototypes. Amers have a promise to fill everyone with a huge number of F-35s. The difference between WILL BE BUILT and FLY can be clearly seen in this article. The US military intended to acquire 1258 new aircraft. So I want to ask them: "Well, how? Success? Have you purchased all 1258?" In my opinion, a similar fate awaits the Fu-35.

[iwind]

Quote: Stiletto

"It was planned to build a whole family of combat aircraft for the US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force based on the Avenger II. In total, the military intended to acquire 1258 new aircraft."

Well, brothers, remind me who here lamented that we have only eight prototypes of the T-50 PAK FA flying, and the United States will have built two thousand two FU-35 ?!

Absolutely different story. The project was started in 1984, and then there was one event that severely cut the "wishlist" of the military. At the current level of technology, it is an overly daring project, but then ... the second Raptor would have turned out to be too expensive and redundant for the local military. At that time in 1990, they also had a lot of military projects and ships cut.
And f-35 flies already 100 pieces and is trained combat drill pilots.

[clidon]

There are not eight prototypes of the T-50 - there are only 5 (five) of them so far. Of course, no one guarantees that the F-35 program will really be fully implemented. Exactly like the T-50 program. But the F-35- has already built a hundred.

[Fofan]

Quote: Stiletto

“Based on the Avenger II, it was planned to create a whole family of combat aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps and the US Air Force. In total, the military intended to purchase 1258 new aircraft. "

Well, brothers, remind me who here lamented that we have only eight prototypes of the T-50 PAK FA flying, and the United States will have built two thousand two FU-35 ?!

lehko
f-35 Units produced 100 (as of December 13, 2013)
how many t-50 are there? 4 or 3 and a half?

[Alex_Popovson]

And what kind of attack aircraft is this? It’s even interesting simply what the developers promised that they bought it, even if first.

[jjj]

They then all demolished the tower of the magnitude of their own greatness. They thought it would slip through. But, as it turned out, the vectors to suppose and do not always intersect. Well, it tells us that innovative development is expensive, dreary and long. Therefore, its designers and production is hardly worth constantly kicking.

[ZSP]

Well, it has already become calmer). They have mastered the denyuzhka, there is no plane, they have been butting for 23 years .... Class, the main thing sounds like "settled the dispute about an uncreated attack aircraft")) I really thought that only ours could do that!

[yehat]

Pak fa project is not so bold. Normal. If everything was simple with financing, as in the USSR, it would have been built in batches in parts.
As for disputes, are heavy fighters needed, aren't it better to build light ones, I can say
that for such distances as ours, especially in the east, heavy fighters are more needed than light ones.
Here quality plays a role along with quantity.

[samoletil18]

A-12, made according to the "flying wing" scheme, was supposed to reach speeds of up to 930 kilometers per hour and fly over a distance of up to 1,5 kilometers. The plane was to receive a folding wing. The armament was planned to be placed in the internal bomb bays. The maximum mass of weapons was not to exceed 2,3 tons.

Not a fig to yourself, attack aircraft! Stealth technology is good for him? That didn't work out. It was necessary on the wave of perestroika in Russia, the Su-25 deck bark. Then Boeing would develop it for free. The only thing is that Poghosyan would later have to include Boeing in the UAC, but that's why he is in charge of the UAC.

[Basarev]

It's perfect! A financial weapon in action.

[lpd1]

Quote: lelikas

It’s a pity that it didn’t work out - such a blow to the budget was ruined.

The photo clearly shows that in the bombs two fluffy toys can still fit freely, and in each

[APASUS]

Ostap Bender would have rolled over in a coffin, having learned how to make money in American way!

[propolsky]

Papier-mâché, no more.