Summary

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed quality assurance problems on four missile systems, the Phoenix, the Harpoon, the Sparrow, and the High-Speed Anti-Radiation (HARM) missiles, to determine the causes and potential effects of the problems.

GAO found that: (1) all the missiles it examined had defects, since they did not completely conform to contract specifications; (2) some defects occurred because of the prime contractor's inadequate manufacturing processes, but subcontractors' poor manufacturing and inadequate quality oversight caused more significant problems; and (3) contractors believed that many of the reported manufacturing defects in soldering were due to the Navy's stringent soldering specifications. GAO believes that the Navy should have: (1) tighter controls over subcontractor production; (2) better reporting of changes in manufacturing processes; and (3) its prime contractors inspect and test subcontractor-manufactured items.