Subcommittee Examines Continued Federal Investment of Taxpayer Dollars in Flawed DP-2 Aircraft
(Washington, DC) The House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight today examined the history, technical viability, critical assessments, testing mishaps and management of the DP-2 Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft being developed by the duPont Aerospace Company.
“The concept for the duPont Aerospace DP-2 vertical take-off aircraft was first proposed by Tony duPont thirty-five years ago. Since then, every government review of the design of the DP-2 aircraft has found it technically flawed,” said Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC).
The DP-2 program, funded exclusively through congressional earmarks since 1988, has received more than $63 million. Yet, virtually every technical review of the DP-2 concept since 1986 has found the proposed aircraft to be severely flawed and serious concerns continue to arise about the ability of duPont Aerospace to effectively and safely manage the program.
Three DP-2 prototype aircraft have been developed and the DP-2 has suffered from four mishaps in the past four years. After decades of investment, the U.S. government has yet to see a return on the DP-2 – or even an operational aircraft.
“Tony duPont is certainly a visionary who cares deeply about the DP-2 aircraft. But that is not an excuse for mismanagement, technical deficiencies, a disregard for safety considerations and waste or abuse of government funds,” added Miller. “Congress has been unusually generous to Mr. duPont, but after two decades of research, development and testing on the DP-2, the U.S. government has very little to show for its efforts.”
Through its investigation, the Subcommittee learned that regardless of repeated concerns about the safety of the aircraft, duPont Aerospace’s poor management of the program and the company’s lack of adherence to safety protocols and procedures, the U.S. government continues to invest in the program. A pending FY08 earmark proposes $6 million in continued funding for the DP-2.
During his testimony to the House Committee on Science at a previous hearing on the DP-2 in May 2001, duPont said the commercial airline industry including Boeing, Lockheed and Grumman did not invest in his concept of the DP-2 aircraft because they were skeptical of his ability to actually achieve success. Six years later, it appears the DP-2 program has accomplished very little.
“Congress – for the past many years – has permitted the DP-2 program to become Mr. duPont’s personal hobby, gambling away more than $63 million of taxpayers money on a technology that most experts believe has little to no hope of success. Expending any more time, money or resources on development of the DP-2 would simply be an effort in futility,” concluded Miller.
Witnesses today assisted the Subcommittee in exploring the past, present and current state of the DP-2 aircraft concept. They included Mr. John Eney, former Head, Aircraft Conceptual Design Group, Naval Air Development Center (NADC) and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR); Dr. William Scheuren, was on a DARPA review team that provided a critical evaluation of the technical merits of the DP-2 concept in 1990; Mr. Mark Deadrick, former Manufacturing Engineering Manager, duPont Aerospace Company; Mr. Anthony duPont, President, duPont Aerospace Company; Mr. John F. Kinzer, Deputy Director of the Air Warfare and Naval Weapons Division at the Office of Naval Research and the DP-2 Program Manager; Mr. G. Warren Hall, Chairman of ONR’s DP-2 Airworthiness Review Panel and Assistant Director for Aviation and Chief Test Pilot at NASA Ames Research Center; Lt. Col. Michael Tremper (USAFR), Defense Contract Management Agency, Government Flight Representative to duPont Aerospace Company; and Ms. Marie Greening, Director, Aeronautical Systems Division, Defense Contract Management Agency.
For more on the hearing, follow this link.
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