While originally slated for a production run of 1,213 RAH-66 Comanche helicopters, the U.S. A year after the terror attack that would prompt a shift toward anti-terror campaigns, the Army reduced their order for Comanches by almost half, and just two years later, the program itself was canceled.Īfter decades of development and nearly $7 billion spent on the Comanche program, it came to a close with just two operational prototypes ever reaching the sky. Then, Septemshifted America’s defense priorities for decades to come. Army was already getting tired of waiting for the Comanche to live up to its hype. Bugs in the software meant to manage the helicopter’s operation proved difficult–and expensive–to root out, the 3-barrel cannon wasn’t as accurate as intended, the target detection system failed to meet expectations, and efforts to both reduce weight and pull more power of the Comanche’s intended T800 turboshaft engines were both slow going.Įach of these issues could have been resolved with enough time and money, but the U.S.

Just about every system intended for use aboard the RAH-66 met with setback after setback.

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