June 14, 1993

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HEADLINE NEWS

CLINTON MULLS OPTIONS AS STATION FIGHT BEGINS

WASHINGTON The White House has begun considering in detail the options for a scaledback space station, just as the annual fight over the program has been joined in Congress. Station proponents have won the opening battle, but it was a skirmish fought on friendly turf.

By JAMES R. ASKER

HEADLINE NEWS

NASP CANCELLED, PROGRAM REDIRECTED

NEW YORK U. S. Air Force and NASA have shelved plans to develop a scramjetpowered, single-stage-to-orbit demonstrator under the X-30 National Aero-Space Plane program and are redefining the project to address some of the NASP's more intractable technological issues.

By STANLEY W. KANDEBO

HEADLINE NEWS

LOOSE SET SCREW CITED IN ATLAS LAUNCH ANOMALY

WASHINGTON An incorrectly tightened set screw caused the propulsion problem that prevented a General Dynamics Atlas 1 launcher from placing its Navy communications satellite into the correct orbit in March. The recently completed investigation into the Mar. 25 mishap with Atlas AC74 found no major design problems with the launcher, and General Dynamics now hopes to perform its next Atlas mission in mid-July.

HEADLINE NEWS

AGREEMENTS MAY KEEP PRATT IN CONNECTICUT

NEW YORK Financially troubled Pratt & Whitney, the state of Connecticut and the International Assn, of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have reached tentative agreement on a wide-ranging plan to keep Pratt's manufacturing facilities in the state.

By STANLEY W. KANDEBO

HEADLINE NEWS

S/MTD REACTIVATED FOR NOZZLE PROGRAM

NEW YORK The USAF/McDonnell Douglas STOL Maneuver Technology Demonstrator, a highly modifed F-15B, returned to flight status last week after 22 months in storage. The aircraft will now serve as the UASF's advanced control technology for integrated vehicles testbed.

HEADLINE NEWS

FIRST GRIPEN DELIVERED; WORLD MARKET EXPLORED

LINKOPING, SWEDEN I The milestone delivery came 11 years after the Swedish government decided to develop a lightweight, multirole fighter on its own and 4½ years after a crash of the first prototype slowed the program until new control laws were established and tested.

By CAROLE A. SHIFRIN

PARIS AIR SHOW '93

FRANCE EYES STEALTH AT 40TH PARIS AIR SHOW

LE BOURGET The French Defense Ministry and Dassault Aviation are in the early stages of planning development of a secret stealth fighter test aircraft, officials at the 1993 Paris air show said. The French test aircraft, like the earlier U. S. "Have Blue" program, eventually could lead France into development of a stealth attack fighter like the U. S. F-l17, officials told AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY.

By CRAIG COVAULT

CONSORTIUM FOCUSES ON 600-SEAT TRANSPORT

LE BOURGET Boeing and Airbus Industrie's four member companies—acting outside the consortium's framework—are pursuing joint exploratory studies on a very large commercial transport (VLCT). The studies are part of a one-year initial phase defined by a memorandum of understanding concluded in February.

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June 211993

June 14, 1993

June 14, 1993

PENTAGON TO KILL A/F-X, RETAIN F-22

By DAVID A. FULGHUM

DEFENSE BUDGET CUTS PROVE ELUSIVE TARGET

By JOHN D. MORROCCO