inside stripes,D Economist* urgedollar decline Page 2DT-46 Jet trainerprogram scrapped Page 5Q NCAA, NIT basketballroundups, ...Sports, Page 21TheSTtfiSlUTHOItlttD UNOFFICIAL PUtllCATIOtt FOB THB U.). ARMED FCHCtJVol. 43, No. 3S9 Sunday, March 15,1987 . . # * w. 0*1, ™u™i., 0 8693 AShultz, Weinberger praisedReagan says, 'They were right. . . 'WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentReagan said Saturday that Secretary orSlate George Shultz and Defense Secre-tary Caspar Weinberger both advisedhim strongly against selling arms ID Iranbut he went ahead with the deal anyway,(Related story, Page 28.)In his weekly radio address, Reaganmade no direct reference to the TowerCommission report, which said Shultzand Weinberger, while opposing thesales, served the president poorly by dis-tancing themselves Tram the operation.But he praised the two Cabinet secre-taries as "men of strong conviction," andhe added, "They have never hesitated togive me their unvarnished views on na-tional security issues under consider-ation,"They arc men willing to speak up re-gardless of the strength of opposition orthe natural bureaucratic tendency toconsider them so valuable," he said."In the case of the Iran arms sale mat-ter, both Secretary Shuliz and SecretaryWeinberger advised me strongly not topursue the initiative," he said.  536 helicopters pending completion of engineering tests todevelop modifications lor the expensive machines.The service acknowledged that the huge Super Stal-lion helicopters suffer from "operating deficiencies"and said it has no idea how long it will nave to curtailIhcir operations.The Navy stopped short of grounding (he fleet, how-ever, as had been urged by Rep. Robert E. Badham, R-Caiif. It also decided not to order a halt in productionand declined ID accept Ihc congressman's characteriza-tion of the problem as an "inherent design deficiency."The Navy had imposed some flight restrictions onthe CH-53E last year after its Air Systems Comdopened an investigation of Die aircraft. That probe wasprompted by complaints from CH-S3E pilots and by arash of serious crashes.Those restrictions involved limits on the number ofpersonnel and amount of cargo that could be carried.The service said Friday that as a result of a new probeby the Navy's inspector general, it has imposed addi-tional restrictions, effective immediately.The new limits generally involve the type of maneu-vers that pilots may fly and the procedures to be fol-lowed in flying over certain types of terrain.The Navy declined to elaborate further. It said thehelicopters would remain under the night restrictionswhile il accelerated a test program."The current engineering and lest program willidentify engineering changes to correct operating defi-ciencies identified over the pust year," it sain\ "Allsuch changes will be incorporated into new aircraftproduction and back-filled into existing aircraft."The Navy declined in estimate how much it mightcost lo fin Ihc helicopter's problems.The CH-53E is the largest and most expensive heli-copter used by U.S. military forces. It is designed torarry tip lo 55 troops or a cargo of 32.000 pounds.The aircraft is made by Ihc Sikorsky Aircraft divi-sion of United Technologies Corp. The company alsomakes a mine-sweeping version of the chopper, desig-nated Ihc MH-53E or Sea Dragon.The CH-53E, used primarily by Ihe Marine Corps.costs roughly $12.9 million. The mine-sweeper versioncosts roughly S1 i. I million, according 10 the Navy.Since June I, 1984, ihc CH-53E has been involvedin seven major accidents lliat have It'll 20 men dead.The most recent crash occurred on Jan, 8 near SalumSea. Calif., killing five.Sikorsky spokesman Many Moore said, "We willcertainly respond lo the dirmiim thai Navy lias givenus today."An unidentified airman walks past the wreckage of a KC-135 lanker that crushed at Falrchlld AFB Friday.At least 6 die as KC-135crashes at Fairchild AFBSPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — An Air Force tankerplane practicing maneuvers for an air demonstrationwith a B-52 crashed and burst into flames Friday, kill-ing six people, including one on the ground, and leav-ing one person missing, officials said.The dead included five people aboard the plane anda person in a car struck by the KC-135 (anker, saidCapl. Brad IVck, Faircttild AFB public informationofficer. One person aboard the plane was reportedmissing.No names were released pending notification of rel-atives.The airplane normally operates with a ercw uf four,A.I.C. Teresa Tracy, a spokeswoman at the haw. widshe did not know why six were aboard.The tanker was practicing maneuvers for (lie act«.iili a U-52, ;mJ the pair were flying low over therunway when the Linker crashed, I'cck said.Kathleen Uinford, who was shopping at (hf h;tbcexchange, said she saw the plane dive lo ihc groundand burst into names after il had taken olT anil ap-peared in be turning.Witnesses near the nir base, which is JUM southwestof Spokane, reported a large column nf blavk Miwhcrising from the crash site, ne.M to ihc runway nl thebase.Filirdiild. part of Ihc Strategic Air CurnU. has btengreparing a liomber-tanktr air act. The act. by iib  2ndomb Wing, Wiis tentatively titled the Thunderhuwksand was intended to be the SAC's answer in the iicru-balic Air Force Thunderhirili :md tin1 Nave's IllucAngels.The icuni was scheduled lo make Us debut May 17in Spokane.After the fire hud been extinguished. ;| ski'hMon ufIhc tanker's fuselage was slrcun ;ilmi|i a 1,5ll(i.|'iiulpath next lo a runway, a large wing section Ijing iiil.nlamong widely wattcrcd piece* uf c.im un IIIIIIIL'-diately kruiwn wlu'ther the plane ilut vcuilu-ii w.is ur-Tying thai much.llb«.-WBV^'r