Summary

In response to a congressional request, GAO reported on its continued monitoring of the status of the Air Force's Simplified Munitions Lift Trailer Program (SMLT).

GAO found that: (1) as of January 1987, SMLT was 16 months behind schedule; (2) SMLT needed certain modifications to meet critical safety requirements and was not fully compatible with all bomber aircraft; (3) since the contractor and the Air Force disagreed over contract specifications and the price, and the contractor failed to provide an adequate design and a prototype, the Air Force terminated the contract; (4) the Air Force exercised a production option to acquire trailers from another supplier and reduced its requirements for SMLT; and (5) to meet its current requirements, the Air Force will have to pay about $35 million, rather than the original cost estimate of $27.15 million.