European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 3, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday May 3,1987 the stars and stripes ing plan for Enli by William j. Bartman Washington Bureau Washington budget constraints have prompted the army to reluctantly consider permitting enlisted personnel to Fly helicopters and Otheria reran officials say. We arc studying the Csir Ahilia feasibility or using  ij0ifbuidthere be a shortage of a to army spokesman at the Jeff Fisenn said. The reason Forkim a duct constraints. An Abag win cult  for maj Gen. Ellis a he . Army , coh aviation Center at said the general found the Coj marginally feasible a inc penal adding thai there Enno decision logo ahead with lie concept at his time. The problem is not because of an feeling on the part of army leaders that enlisted members could not handle the helicopters he said. There s no question about whether enlisted soldiers would have the Cipuri air Force shows interest in competitive bidding on area Fth production by Norma Nap military writ Washington their Force s top general on Friday dismiss suggestions that the so called stealth to a bar is suffering Large Cost overruns but Laid he was receptive to the idea of limping Competition into the program Gen. Larry d. Welch the air fore chief of stall said it remained unclear whether aerospace contractors would find it economically attractive 10 vie for the right of becoming a second production source for the new plane. Bui Welch said the air Force was certainty willing to consider that approach which was proposed earlier in the week by rep. Us Aspin d-wis., chairman of the House armed services  general s comments were the fitly a High ranking Pentagon offic Iamo embrace the possibility that the to poly now held by Northrop corp. Ufi the new bomber might be broken. A second source for final Assembly for a big air plane is a new id Welch said. The Assumption has Vays been Fiat you can t make an Eoj comic thing out of a second source of Low production rate. Large aircraft. On the other hand Haven t gone out to contractors to see i whey agree with that Assumption. There just has t been any in Terest in the past. Tit Way we should treat it is hat it s a new Shea we Haven t thought of it before Andjus Worth looking at this new idea and yug if any interest Springs out of in we said. As for re nuns of Cost overruns Welch said there a Ltd been some increases in the Develon Niento budget for the plane. But he disc cd those increases arose from a decision to spend Money now to build equipment that would be needed to pro Duce he plane and we expect to rain Back that investment in production. So far As we know at this Point in time there is no program Cost increase in the program the fir Star general declared. The stealth Bong for known formally As the advanced Rochn Plozy bomber is being develop Cdr by Lite air Force by Northrop on a dec source basis. Virtually ail details shorn the project have been classified Tilhou Welch and other Pentagon officials Hue said the program is Prog Ressing we and the first stealth bombers should  by the Early 1990s, takes its name from the fact it Iff designed to evade enemy  Force and Northrop Are at  to employ a variety of  such As a new fuselage tape 9d exotic metals and exterior ratings to minimize the bomber s signature ten a radar scope. The air fake has said it intends to buy132 of the Ste a bombers at an estimated Tstof$j6.6biutfciin 1981  in the Tjerck Aspin and rep. Samuel s. Stratlotmv-n.y., Intro Rcd an amendment to tiny Pentagon s budget thai Wou a Force the Ani agon 10 in Eccl Competition into the jul a  air Force has  some key components on that Lane Don meet the original Spucci Ninons even though the plane has already in put into service. Welch flatly dismissed any compari son of the to bombers Sayi Minc stealth program has a different Rit s a different set of risks it s a differ management  at program is Well along in development bul we re still very carry in that program he continued. We Haven t signed a production contract for the at program  i favor competitive production if it s economic Welch concluded. The in vestment will be very substantial to pro Duce a second set of tooling for a Large aircraft like that. And since we re talking about buying relatively Low numbers of air planes the production rate will be fairly Low. In  of undercutting the ill officer  officers be joined by enlisted t i cry re Klul Raul the Titi cars morale he said under the proposal Calisle Nel at the rank of sergeant would be Clingi ble for night training. After training they would he promoted to staff sergeant and within two years would become a chief warrant officer 2. The enlisted pilots would have a five year service Obliga Tion. The tentative plan was established under the orders of Gen. John Wickham jr., the chief of staff out of concern that budget constraints and congressionally mandated officer cuts would Lead to a Pilot shortage in the warrant officer corps. Proposal Calls for converting no officer Pilot positions to in la Wickham will a Ftp Tanal decision on whether enlisted pilots of the future for the army a up said. A Slick Way to have fun Youl testers from the child Duvel Many put their hearts and feel of pwn Center in Darmstadt get into a slide ride i Lincoln Village. . Panel bars funds for chernobyl like reactor new York not the Senate armed services committee has voted to bar funds for reopening troubled nuclear reactor in Washington stale that is a key source of the nation s plutonium fuel for nuclear weapons. Then reactor at the Hanford reservation near Richland. Wash., resembles the soviet Union s Cher Nobyl Plant More closely than does any other reactor in the United states. It has been closed since december for safety improvements after the explosion a year ago at chernobyl the worst nuclear Accident in history. High ranking Reagan  officials said that failure to reopen the reactor could impair the military s ability to maintain the nation s nuclear arse Nal. The Senate panel s vote in a closed session wednes Day came in deliberations on a Bill for Mili Iory pro Grams that the committee is expected to Send to he full Senate Friday. It would bar funds for operation of the reactor but would permit the Energy department to keep in ready to restart. The department expects to Complete some equip ment changes by july i along with improving training and operating procedures and completing an analysis of flaws that could cause an Cuddi in according to Douglas c. Elm Els a department spokesman. But other changes recommended by experts selected by the department including a system to purge explosive gases that could build up during an Accident would not be finished by then he said. Like chernobyl and in contrast 10 the Standard commercial designs in use in this country then re actor uses Graphite blocks to facilitate the nuclear re action. It also lacks the steel and Concrete containment buildings that surround commercial reactors. But be cause of design differences it is not  Vilo ibo same instability that triggered the chernobyl disaster. Then reactor which was designed for 20 years fuse bul is now in its 23rd year is one of six Energy department facilities for producing plutonium fuel for nuclear bombs. Bul the committee Vole comes at u time when All the others Are showing problems. Two Are now shut possibly permanently and the other three arc running at less than half of capacity because of safely questions. All five Are at he Savan nah River plan near Aikin . Secretary of Energy John 1 Ler Ringlon said in a pre pared statement that he was extremely concerned that the Senate committee s action could severely re strict the department of Energy s ability to meet  for our nation s strategic de Clrrence Ca  then a Factor represents one third of the nations put Iconium production capacity he said and was incl Scifo modernize nuclear weapons