Torque of the Devil,
Do elaborate on your last post. Was the option you allude to considered at the Initial Gate point (has the project reached initial gate)? I am familiar with SMART Acquisition but not the details of SAR-H in particular. I would suggest that in the current climate if there is a cheaper option that delivers the capability required it should be taken or, at the very least, properly assessed. In fact, it would be criminal if it wasn't as the money saved could provide badly needed kit for our deployed forces. I'm afraid that whenever I have heard the phrase 'it isn't that simple' in the past it has been that simple. What is difficult is getting the project team to manoeuvre out of the rut they are driving in. This is usually due to the time, effort and intellectual capital they have invested in chasing a white elephant.