The Nation : Air-to-Air Missile Faulted

A congressional study cited continuing problems with the advanced air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) with which the Air Force and Navy hope to arm fighter planes in the 1990s. Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the report by the General Accounting Office “raises my suspicions even higher” that the missile will not meet its performance and cost goals. The cost of the missile has already tripled from the original estimates, and is now targeted at $5.2 billion for 20,000 missiles, a goal the GAO called doubtful.