Originally Posted by
JohnDixson
When the US Army issued their Request or Proposal in 1972, it was the result of at least 4 years of serious study. That request was based on a very detailed Material Need Document, which in turn was in part based on recent work providing standards for crashworthiness and ballistic survivability/vulnerability, studies of the UH-1 statistics from Vietnam ( which were being studied before that war came to a close ) etc etc. That document was in fact pretty much a detailed specification, including very specific performance and handling requirements ( the famous UTTAS Maneuver as only one example ).
Is there a similar spec-type document published for the Puma replacement?
I very much doubt it. The original US Army procurement was founded on wholly different assumptions . The US was prepared to pay ( and wait) for a design, build and support activity. The UK professes to want an OTS buy. Now, or next year, or maybe the year after that.
Just as War is the conduct of diplomacy by other means, military procurement in peacetime is an extension of domestic policy. Politics rules all.
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