WASHINGTON Breaking down the air defenses around Iraq’s main urban centers to open the way for an allied offensive would be far tougher than pounding the less sophisticated systems operating in the no-fly zones. “The no-fly zones are dangerous places, but we own them when we want to,” a senior Air Force official said.

WASHINGTON A massive, 30,000-lb. “Daisy Cutter” replacement and other new weapon concepts are emerging to help U.S. forces defeat targets they haven’t been able to destroy with existing conventional munitions. Although many of these efforts are still embryonic, the Pentagon appears to be on the verge of a revolution in weapons technology on a scale not seen since the 1991 Persian Gulf war.

HOUSTON Canada is contemplating a significant role in international Mars exploration now that its robotic contributions to the International Space Station are nearing completion. France, meanwhile, is trimming its Martian ambitions as too expensive, and NASA is taking another look at Mars sample return architectures in an attempt to cut the total cost of the unscheduled mission to about $1 billion.

HOUSTON Technology transfer concerns and State Dept, bureaucratic snafus prevented about 50% of nearly 100 Chinese space managers and engineers from entering the U.S. to attend the World Space Congress (WSC). Those who were granted visas had their WSC display materials closely examined by FBI agents.

LONDON The British Defense Ministry last week shrugged off BAE Systems’ attempt to strong-arm it into renouncing its competition credo, in unveiling its defense industrial policy—a position paper underpinned by a recognition the U.K. defense-aerospace sector is inexorably being drawn closer to the U.S.

Paris The Arianespace board plans to phase out production of the basic version of the Ariane 5 and go with a single improved version to be introduced next month. The measure, which will follow phase-out of the medium-lift Ariane 4 early in 2003, is part of a strategy designed to return Arianespace to profitability (AW&ST June 17, p. 20).