NATION : AF Refuses Delivery of Missiles
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WASHINGTON — The Air Force is refusing deliveries of its newest missile--the advanced medium-range air-to-air missile--because the $722-million weapon has failed several reliability tests, the Air Force said today.
The Air Force last week told the main contractors for the multibillion dollar program--Hughes Aircraft Corp. and Raytheon Corp.--that it will not accept the missiles until problems are fixed, Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Susan Strednansky said.
The newest, most advanced missile is intended to replace Sparrow missiles on the nation’s fighter jets. The AMRAAM program is two years behind schedule and has had cost overruns of more than 40%.
In an interview with the trade publication Aerospace Daily, the Air Force’s AMRAAM program manager, Brig. Gen. Charles E. Franklin, said the Air Force stopped accepting the missile because seven have failed in reliability tests conducted on F-15 fighter aircraft since December.
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