Product Description
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the costs and benefits of the Army’s M762 electronic time fuze and M557 mechanical time fuze.
GAO found that: (1) both fuzes were capable of satisfying the Army’s artillery time fuze requirements; (2) the electronic time fuze could be set both manually and automatically and could be set manually without the use of a tool, but its autoset capability could not be utilized because current artillery systems did not use autoset fuzes; (3) the mechanical fuze was economical, safe, and reliable, and current manufacturers could produce them in higher quantities than the Army’s stated annual requirements; (4) during the first 3 years of production, the M762 fuze would cost more than the M577 fuze; and (5) the Army’s stated requirements for artillery time fuzes for fiscal year (FY) 1990 could be met with mechanical fuzes for considerably less than the $54.9 million included in its FY 1990 budget request for the procurement of electronic fuzes.