A-12 AIRCRAFT PROGRAM

SEC. 151. A-12 AIRCRAFT PROGRAM (a) Funding.— Of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for aircraft procurement for the Navy for fiscal year 1991, $610,000,000 shall be available for the A-12 aircraft program. Such funds— (1) may be used only for an A-12 program— (A) that conforms to the pricing provisions of existing contracts, adjusted for quantity and inflation, as appropriate; or (B) that is restructured to reduce technical and schedule risks arising from concurrency and for which the new program price is based on actual contract cost data from the pre-restructured program; and (2) may not be obligated or expended until 45 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense submits to the congressional defense committees the report described in subsection (d). (b) Defense Science Board Panel.— The Secretary of Defense shall establish a special panel of the Defense Science Board to examine the requirements of the Navy established for the A-12 aircraft and to assess the inherent suitability of the current A-12 design and its projected execution for meeting the requirements of the Navy for medium-attack aircraft (including low observability) through the projected life of the system. (c) Navy Review Committee.— The Secretary of the Navy shall establish an A-12 review committee to be independent of the A-12 program office. The review committee shall be chaired by the Inspector General of the Navy. The committee shall submit quarterly reports to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense on the cost, schedule, and performance status of the program (including technical performance and projected operating weight) until the A-12 aircraft completes its first deployment. (d) Report.— The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) A program cost estimate for the A-12 program as determined by the Department of Defense Cost Analysis Improvement Group (CAIG). 104 STAT. 1505 (2) An assessment of when flight testing of the A-12 aircraft will begin. (3) A summary of the report of the panel established under subsection (b), together with such comments as the Secretary considers appropriate. (4) Certification that the review committee required by subsection (c) has been established. (5) The views of the Secretary on the appropriateness of fixed-price type contracts for full-scale development of the A-12 aircraft, including any views concerning possible renegotiation of any A-12 contracts with the prime contractors. (6) Any other views or recommendations of the Secretary of Defense that the Secretary considers appropriate.