Drift

VH-71 Kestrel

VH-71 · Navy · Lockheed Martin · cancelled

+100% $6.5B (2005) → $13.0B (2009)
VH-71 Kestrel: cost trajectory from $6.5B in 2005 to $13.0B in 2009, +100% growth. Explore VH-71 interactively → Download 1-page brief (PDF)
Baseline
$6.5B (2005)
Current estimate
$13.0B (2009)
Cost growth
+100%
Units
28 → 28
Quantity change
0%
Unit-cost change
+100%
IOC
2010s (planned) → Cancelled 2009
Schedule slip
—
Cost basis
TY
Confidence
medium · reconciled
The presidential helicopter that roughly doubled ($6.5B → $13B) on requirements creep and concurrency before Gates cancelled it June 2009 — zero operational aircraft, ~$3.2B sunk.

Documented events

Source: CRS RS22103 (confirmed): 23 helicopters at $6.5B originally → "over $13B" at cancellation, then-year.

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Drift — an independent project by Aous Abdo, built from public GAO, CRS and DoD sources. Cost growth has many causes; a larger number is not by itself evidence of mismanagement. How this is built · Explore the data →