Problems Still Keeping 12 MX Missiles Out of Service
The technical problems that have kept 12 of 30 deployed MX missiles out of service have shown no signs of improvement and may be “more intractable than thought,” the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said.
Noting that deliveries of the missile’s complex guidance system continue to lag behind schedule, Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.) said Sunday in a statement that the MX is “another example of the acquisition process run amok.”
The Reagan Administration has presented the $19-billion MX program as the centerpiece of its strategic modernization plan.
The Hawthorne-based Northrop Electronics Division, which manufactures the guidance system, was expected to produce six of the components per month between October and December of 1987. But Aspin said only four were actually delivered to the Air Force in that period.
Failures in 12 Systems
In addition, Aspin revealed that in November and December, there had been failures in a dozen of the 64 guidance systems delivered to date, bringing to 47 the number of the faulty components, called inertial measurement units or IMUs.
“The MX isn’t out of trouble yet,” warned the Wisconsin Democrat, who based his comments on a report by the General Accounting Office to be released today.
Aspin faulted the Air Force for “placing excessive emphasis . . . on meeting paper schedules” and allowing defense contractors to conclude “that cutting corners is perfectly acceptable.” After a congressionally imposed delay, the service ordered Northrop Electronics Division to deliver the first of 174 guidance systems in two-thirds the time originally planned.
“Contractors are sometimes expected to perform more miracles than God,” said Aspin, who added that Northrop “is taking the problems very seriously.”
Management Termed Lax
In October, Northrop Vice Chairman Frank Lynch admitted before a House investigating committee that management of the program had been lax. But he maintained that personnel changes and more careful supervision would turn the program around.
Aspin said Northrop is now at work to correct problems on the newest variant of the troubled IMU. The latest version, which suffers from problems with its cooling system, is the company’s ninth try at fixing the IMU’s technical problems.
Northrop’s Precision Products Division also is under fire for alleged mismanagement in the production of another major missile component, the flight data transmitter for the air-launched cruise missile.
