July 22, 1991

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HEADLINE NEWS

Soviet Cosmonauts Plan Daily For U.S. Emergency Landings

WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Orbiting Soviet cosmonauts receive daily instructions for emergency landings in the midwestern United States, according to an analysis of crew radio transmissions. The Soviet contingency plans apparently extend at least from 1975 and show a willingness to bring cosmonauts down in U.S. territory on short notice, even through some of the chilliest years of the Cold War.

By JAMES R. ASKER5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Allies Feared Massive Iraqi Nonconventional Attack

WASHINGTON Allied commanders feared throughout the Persian Gulf war that the Iraqis might launch a single, massive air attack with chemical and biological weapons in an attempt to shake the American public’s confidence, as the 1968 Tet offensive did in Vietnam.

By DAVID A. FULUHUM5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Allied Strategists Altered Battle Plans To Compensate for Dugan’s Comments

WASHINGTON Allied strategists altered their plans for the air campaign against Iraq to compensate for and take advantage of statements made by then-Air Force chief of staff Gen. Michael J. Dugan four months before Operation Desert Storm began.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Senators Seek to Block Funding for Additional Limited-Rate Production of ASPJs Pending More Tests

WASHINGTON Two senators are seeking to block funding for additional limited-rate initial production of the U.S.Navy’s Airborne Self-Protection Jammer system, despite successful early flight tests. Sen. David Pryor (D.-Ark.), a longtime ASPJ critic, and Sen. William V. Roth, Jr., (R.-Del.) last week asked Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D.-Ga.) to ban the release of funds for any ALQ-165 systems beyond the 100 now under contract, until operational test and evaluation is completed late this year.

WEAPON SYSTEM UPGRADES

Manufacturers Embrace Upgrades To Survive in ’90s

LANCASTER, CALIF. Upgrading existing aircraft and weapon systems is becoming a multibilliondollar international business that promises to soften the blow of sharply reduced U.S. budgets for new procurements and help aerospace manufacturers survive the 1990s.

By WILLIAM B. SCOTT13 min

WEAPON SYSTEM UPGRADES: DEFENSE CUTS DRIVE MARKET

Emphasis on Stealth Clashes With Aircraft Update Plans

WASHINGTON Proposals to upgrade existing airframes rather than building new ones to meet U.S. requirements for front-line combat aircraft have become more relevant than ever, given the shrinking Defense Dept. budget. But unyielding modernization requirements to match perceived threats, particularly the emphasis on stealth technology, have undermined these attempts.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO8 min

July 151991

July 291991

July 22, 1991

July 22, 1991