Aviation Security: Development of New Security Technology Has Not Met Expectations: Rced-94-142

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Overview

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) efforts to develop new equipment for detecting explosives and methods to improve aircraft survivability. GAO found that: (1) FAA has made little progress in deploying new explosive detection systems because of technical problems; (2) FAA could take 2 to 5 years to approve new devices for airlines' use; (3) FAA efforts to enhance aircraft survivability are promising but are several years from completion; (4) FAA does not plan to test new explosive detection systems at airports during the certification process; (5) FAA has not conducted software reviews to evaluate system designs, emphasized integrating different technologies into total systems, or focused sufficient attention on human factors issues; (6) FAA lacks a purchasing strategy to guide its and the airlines' efforts to implement new security equipment; (7) if FAA expeditiously develops an implementation strategy, the airlines will be in a better position to plan and budget for future security acquisitions; and (8) Congress is considering legislation that would clarify the availability of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant funds to purchase explosive detection systems.