The DEA Demonstrates How Not To Buy Aircraft

McClatchy writes about a failed attempt by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to purchase three aircraft for surveillance missions. Because the funding for the aircraft originally came out of the "black" budget there are not a lot of details available on the original contract. It doesn't help that the company involved, Schweizer, was purchased by Sikorsky after contract was awarded. It is also believed that the aircraft were originally intended for another part of the government who ended up rejecting them making the airplanes available for the DEA to purchase. The biggest issue faced by the Agency was that they bought the first three aircraft of this type manufactured by the company. This means that they were not thoroughly tested and had not received proper certification by the FAA. This led to a series of maintenance issues and the DEA ultimately got rid of them due to spares shortages. This was also related to the fact that these were a new design and not established enough to build up a pool of parts or suppliers. The story is also another illustration of the problem that earmarks cause as the lead to a Government agency buying something that they do not want or need. These aircraft struggled to meet the requirements of the mission for the original purchaser or the DEA. Usually when the government, or really any company, is going to operate an aircraft it is preferred to buy a mature design that has been tested and a support network exists to minimize issues like this.