Defence

Flight International online news 11:00GMT:The US Army has ordered Lockheed Martin to stop work on the aerial common sensor (ACS) development program although it has stressed it is not terminating the contract.

The decision was made after a review board found the weight of the ACS payload and required airframe modifications exceed the structural limits of Lockheed's selected aircraft, the Embraer 145.


An artist's impression of how the ACS-modified Embraer 145 would look

In the wake of these findings, the US Army says the program has slipped two years behind schedule.

The US Army awarded the development contract of the ACS, the next-generation airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system for the US Army and US Navy,  to Lockheed in August 2004.

ROSS BENTLEY/LONDON