John McCain, the influential Republican senator, is gearing up to investigate the US Army's Future Combat Systems project, in a worrying development for Boeing, the lead contractor for the $100bn weapons system.
Mr McCain, a senior member of the Senate armed services committee, intends to look at the vast FCS programme as part of a series of hearings on Pentagon procurement practices starting next month. He is also expected to ask the Government Accountability Office, the oversight arm of Congress, to look into FCS, according to a person familiar with his plans.
