NORFOLK, Va. — Tens of millions of dollars spent and not much to show for it.
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office looked at the Navy's effort to reduce fuel consumption on its Arleigh Burke Class guided-missile destroyers. The goal was to install "Hybrid Electric Drive Systems" on the ships.
The report says that since 2011, the Navy purchased six of the systems but only installed one, aboard the Norfolk-based USS Truxtun (DDG-103).
The GAO says that after spending over $100 million to develop, test, and produce these systems, the Navy now plans to suspend the program and pursue another research effort.
The GAO said, "We could not assess the prudence of suspending the program because the Navy didn't fully assess the costs and benefits or complete testing of the HED system before making its decision."
The GAO report offered no recommendations.