European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. January 23. 19b7 the stars and stripes Page 9 apaches May get stinger missile i , an. Ai l the Ahma Apache Heli copter. Huili fur i to Arr in mid Knoll Douglas May become the first army aircraft armed with an air to air weapon. Army my  spokesmen said Wedzik v Day. The fallibility of arming apaches with stinger anti aircraft missiles ii being studied said Jim Wittnie or. Spokesman for the army ave lion systems c omd in is. I Ouis. Mcdonnell Douglas was Given ,1 draft request in loot Al and a Momeni on some time ago. Wittmeyer said. A formal request will he submitted by the army to the company within 30 to 45 Days. The Singer is a .15-Puuiid, Beal Seekin missile developed As a ground to air anti Airt Ift to spun. Ils Range is classified Wilimen a snid. The missile would have to he Mac rated into the helicopter s Cle ironic in. That represents an increase Over the air Force s initial plan for purchasing my is. The service originally planned to buy 12 of the new ii Ousler. I he Competition for the contract however produced bids that make it economical to acquire 20 of i lie new boosters and accelerate the launch schedule from four per year to sever per Yir Ilie air Force said the Overall three year program will be Worth so us million to Mcdonnell Douglas the air Force said. That com pares wit i estimates last year that the program might Cost up loss billion Mcdonnell doughs was selected Fol lowing a five Monid Competition Over Mir to Marietta corp. And general by Nai ivies Curp. The winning Mcdonnell Douglas the sign is based on ii derivative of lie existing Delta Rotkel. Martin Marietta had proposed i derivative from tis mean 3-1 fam Winje Jeneral dynamics had proposed a in Rivasi e of its Atlas Centaur. Under the terms of the contract Mcdonnell Douglas must have the first Booster available for launch no later than january 98�. Before the loss of the space shuttle challenger in Jan 28, 1986, the Penta gon had planned to rely solely on the shuttle to ferry 2 final design Nav Siar satellites into orbit completing the sys tem by 1980. That program came to a halt with the grounding of the space shuttle Fleet How Ever. As part of ils space recovery plan in the Vav in of the challenger disaster the air Force decided to buy a smaller boost or that could be used solely for Pic Nav Star program. That in turn will free the shuttle for other heavier and More critical cargoes and hold the delay to completing the Pavitar system to no More Ilian two years the service says