The Pentagon Paid Over $8000 For A Helicopter Part That Should Cost Less Than $500

The charges come from a contract between the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Bell Helicopter Textron.

The ridiculous markup was over 18 times what the military should have paid for the gears, with DLA overpaying to the tune of $9 million, the IG claims.

Under the current contract, the Pentagon would overpay another $2.6 million this year.

The Inspector General recommended pursuing voluntary recovery for the overpayments, but for now, Bell isn't going along.

Bell Helicopter "does not agree with the findings or recommendations," Andy Woodward, a spokesman for Textron, told Bloomberg in a statement.

There's plenty more waste where to be found, of course. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction has uncovered much more, like $3 million worth of boats that were bought and never used sitting idle in a Virginia warehouse and $6.3 million on vehicles that don't exist.

The Defense Department also recently settled a case where Boeing overcharged to the alleged tune of $13.7 million. The charges included a $10 aluminum pin, which the Pentagon paid $2,286, according to Bloomberg.