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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 0053.PDF
INTERNATIONAL Editorial Enquiries +44 (81) 661 3842 Editorial Fax +44 (81) 661 3840 Display Advertising +44 (81) 661 3315 Display Advertising Fax +44 (81) 661 8981 Classified Advertising +44 (81) 661 6373 Classified Advertising Fax +44 (81) 642 4431 Telex 892084 REEDBP G Subscriptions +44 (81) 649 7271 Back issues (recent copies only) +44 (81) 661 3315 Picture Library +44 (81) 661 3427 Flight Directories +44 (7D7) 46952 USA Newstrade Sales Enquiries 800 345 6478 LONDON Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK Editor Allan Winn +44 (81) 661 3882 Editor's PA Jacqueline Worsley +44 (81) 661 3882 Deputy Editor Forbes Mutch +44 (81) 661 3852 lews Editor Andrew Chuter +44 (81) 661 3843 Matures Editor David Learmount +44 (81) 661 3845 Military Editor Mike Gaines +44 (81) 661 8809 Air Transport Editor Ian Goold +44 (81) 661 3834 Technology/Industry Editor Simon Elliott+44 (81) 661 3838 iiatabases Editor Tom Hamil Editorial Assistant Kale Sarsfield Design Editor Mike Wells Layout Sub-editor Annabel Goddard Layout Sub-editor Jenny Long Technical Artist Tim Hall Technical Artist David Hatcftard Technical Artist John Marsden Spaceflight Correspondent Tim Futniss Photographer (Europe) Mark Wagner Display Advertisement Sales Sales Manager Clive Richardson Assistant Sales Manager Nick Wilcox Senior Sales Executive Janice Lowe Advertisement production Howard Mason +44 (81) 661 3096 +44 (81) 661 3842 +44 (81) 661 3828 +44 (81) 661 3848 +44 (81) 661 3847 +44 (81) 661 8047 +44 (81) 661 8047 +44 (81) 661 8054 +44 (237) 451756 Fax +44 (237) 451600 +44 (272) 358200 Fax +44 (272) 358290 +44 (81) 661 3315 +44 (81) 661 3892 +44 (81) 661 3316 +44 (81) 661 3267 EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST European Editor (Brussels) Julian Moxon +32 (2) 657 9689 , ; Fax +32 (2) 657 5260 Munich Correspondent Douglas Barrie +49 (89) 689 1041 Fax +49 (89) 689 1045 +33 (1) 4825 5261 +972 (3) 967 1155 Paris Correspondent Gilbert Sedbon israel Correspondent Arie Egozi ales Director (France) Pierre Mussard apresentatlve (Italy) Romano Ferrario +33 (1) 4277 1417 +39 (2) 58084 302 AMERICAS American Editor Graham Warwick F Washington Correspondent Kieran Daly F USA West Coast Correspondent (Los Angeles) Guy Norris F Photographer (USA) Craig Schmitman Fax Fax President RBP (USA) Ray Barnes Traffic Manager JoAnn Lapp Vice President US Sales. John Tidy Sales Director (Mid West and Canada) Gene Glendinning Fax Sales Director (East Coast) Robert Hancock Fax Business Development Director Sheena Bobbins Fax +1 (404) 587 2927 +1 (404) 594 1534 +1 (703) 836 7443 +1 (703) 836 8344 +1 (714) 252 8971 +1 (714) 252 8972 +1 (310) 452 4464 +1 (310) 452 3515 +1 (212) 867 2080 +1 (212) 867 2080 +1 (212) 687 6604 +1 (714) 756 1057 +1 (714) 756 2514 +1 (708) 635 9920 +1 (708) 635 0602 +1 (703) 836 7444 +1 (703) 836 7446 +1 (703) 836 7444 +1 (703) 836 7446 ASIA/PACIFIC Asian Editor (Singapore) John Bailey +65 226 3188 Fax +65 227 1769 Australian Correspondent Paul Pnelan +61 (70) 532 791 Fax +61 (70) 532 791 Sales Director Mike Hancock (Singapore) +65 226 3188 Account Manager Fiona Bartholomeusz +65 226 3188 Fax +65 223 6960 Regional Representative (Japan) Snoichi Maruyama +81 (3) 3234 2161 Fax +81 (3) 3234 1143 Publisher Les Edwards +44 (81) 661 3436 Member ol the Audit Bureau of Circulation COMMENT THE THREAT WITHIN US industry awaits with fear and trepi dation the unveiling of President Bush's 1993 defence budget request later this month. Reports, sparked by rumours fuelled by uncertainty, suggest Bush could go as far as cancelling almost every new weapons system under development in the USA. That th« US Air Force's B-2 bomber fleet will be capped at 20 air craft, down from a once-planned 132, seems certain. The US Navy's Seawolf subma rine and US Army's M1A1 tank also look set for the chop. More disturbing, however, are rumours that the Air Force's F-22 ad vanced tactical fighter and Army's RAH-22 Comanche light heli copter could be sacri ficed. If industry's worst nightmares are real ised, the effects could be horrendous for companies already weakened by produc tion cutbacks and pro gramme cancellations. Overnight the corpo rate balance would tip in favour of those manufacturers with systems in production which could fill the gap left by the loss of an entire generation of fighting machines. It is hard to argue with those who say the threat which the B-2, F-22 and RAH-66 are designed to meet no longer exists. It is easy to agree with those who say the Gulf War showed that existing US weaponry is more than a match for any threat that does still exist. It is so easy, in fact, that the US is in imminent danger of throwing away its hard-won, long-held leader ship in aerospace technology. Of course the B-l, F-15 and AH-64 can outmatch any threat which can be shown to exist today. Of course they can, with modifica tion, meet any threat which can be projected to exist tomorrow. Of course they will grow old and need replacing — one day, but not soon. .:•> ; , -. ; l(r-r~< I he USA is in imminent danger of throwing away its hard-won, long-held leadership." There is a growing realisation that the USA, in 1992, cannot begin with last year's budget as a basis and simply cut here, trim there and hope to achieve the necessary forces and the required cuts. Last year it simply put off difficult decisions. This year it has to make them. Anyone familiar with the distasteful display of back-scratching and backstabbing that passes for the US budget approval process will have rea son to doubt that Con gress is up to the task it is soon to face. Even in a good year, Con gressional committees have seldom been able to complete their deliberations by the deadline. President Bush may hope to make their task easier by making some of the difficult deci sions for them, but any cancellations or cut backs he proposes could still be reversed by the many commit tees and subcommittees that shape the eventual budget — for reasons which are sometimes good, but often bad. The USA is on the edge of a precipice. It should not simply close its eyes and jump, but instead seek a safe and sensible route down to a lower level of defence. Among the ways of finding that route is an understanding of the defence industry's contri bution to the nation's economic health. . Others are a recognition of the time and money already invested in the next generation of weapon systems, and an appreciation of the time and money that will still have to be invested, some time later, when today's weapon systems .can no longer defy even the most mediocre threat. Perhaps the best US industry can hope for in these difficult times is that the Government will continue developing the next generation of weapon systems without making any commit ment to production. After all, by 1995 things will be so much clearer — won't they? • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 January, 1992 3
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