DoD, DEA spent $86 million on drug surveillance airplane that never flew

Somewhere in Delaware, a ATR 42-500 is siting in a hangar collecting dust after $86 million was spent trying to convert the airliner into a surveillance plane for counter-narcotics mission in Afghanistan.

Photo: U.S. Department of Justice

Conceived eight years ago, it was the brainchild of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to fight the drug trade in the country.

However, cost of the program spiraled from $22 million to $86 million. The Pentagon alone gave $67.9 million to modify the aircraft and build a hangar for it in Kabul.

The program was eventually terminated last year and the DEA says it will now prep it for missions in the Caribbean and Latin America.