European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. March 29, 1989 the stars and stripes Paga 3 army refuses to accept new stinger wants targeting flaw in missile fixed Yelain Sciolino Washington not the army has refused delivery of the new generation of the . Military s anti aircraft stinger missile because the weapon is fooled when hovering helicopters fire certain types of flares the decision confirmed by Pentagon officials congressional Slaff members and the contractor. Gen eral dynamics reflects current trends in modern warfare and a tougher attitude toward the Purchase of High technology weapons. The first generation of inc stinger missile a Shoul Der fired Chai sucking weapon for air defense soldiers was initially delivered to american backed afghan re Bels in mid-1986 and was crucial in neutralizing soviet aired War in Afghanistan. The rebels arc successfully using stingers against afghan planes and helicopters in the current Battle for the St Ralcgie provincial capital of Jala Labad Bui. As the afghan War showed the Basic stinger Asil is known has its limitations. Soviet and afghan pilots Learned to develop new., defences against the weapon by. A combination of aircraft Maneu vers an the use of flares. A flare can Force the heat seeking missile into acting As if the flare rather than he plane or helicopter is the real  anticipation of even More sophisticated use of flares by the Sov Juls inc . Army has been insisting thai the new version of the missile the stinger rep be impervious to a wide Range of flares  army officials stress that the flaw in the stinger rep docs not do Eccl inc weapon s Basic performance. Even with the defect hey add Thoi inc stinger rep is Muchmore effective than the two previous generations of mis Siles the Basic Singer and the stinger Post and would be Able to Cou liter the son of flares used in Afghanistan. We Don t have an insurmountable problem with inc missile said capt Barry d. Homier an army spokesman. Ills just that it does t meet All our requirements and until it docs we won t Lake delivery. It can l take care of ali1 he targets it is intended to he said. We Haven t stopped buying inc missile we just Haven t accepted it  for about a year since the army first selected inc flaw in the stinger rep general dynamics has been unsuccessful in correcting it. Last june the army decided to refuse delivery of the missile until the prob Lem was resolved. The army continues to make partial payments forthe missile m accordance with the contracts said Bomier although substantial payments Are being with held until delivery. The army has said publicly that there Are some problems and we have been working with the army to Correct them said Alvin a. Spivak the Washington spokesman for Genera dynamics. The army has begun testing new software and Hopes to have it perfected in a few months. The decision to refuse delivery reflects a More deliberate attitude by the military. In the face of severe budget constraints to hold military contractors More account Able for the performance of inc weapons hey produce. In inc Post the military particularly the army  appeared orc Willingto adjust contracts so that a new weapon s inadequate performance could be deemed acceptable. What s important is that the army has decided to hold general dynamics feel to the fire rather than mod Ify inc specifications said one congressional staff Mem Ber. From a procurement standpoint this is a big  the army has two contracts totalling about s900 Mil lion to buy about .23,000 of the new stingers through May 1991. General dynamics is still producing inc missile an already has several thousand in storage. The Story of the stinger s development Sheds Hughi on the nature of the modern Battlefield a world in which each Side tries to match the  advances of the other with a  the stinger was first delivered to the army in 1979 As a replacement for the redeye a Soldier fired weapon thai relied on an infrared system to guide its Missi Lelo the target but thai was effective Only from behind. The stinger represented a major improvement be cause it could lock on to and nil targets that were  or were coming directly at inc Soldier holding inc weapon. In 1984, general dynamics began research and development on inc Slinger rms in an Effort to develop a Missic thai would not Only work against current threats but could be adapted to Deal with potential countermeasures will in the future. It incorporates removable software thai can be re placed to Runcel new threats As they come along. A problem with inc software prevents in from distinguishing certain targets As army specifications require. Specifically it is unable to shoot Down hovering Heli copters that Emit certain types of flares. Even so the army insists that the weapon is significantly belter than other such anti aircraft weapons in its arsenal7. -. The rep is still without a doubt the Best shoulder circa defensive Missic in the  said David g. Har Ris spokesman for inc army missile command in Redstone aja., the army s project manager for the stinger. If the balloon went up tomorrow morning the army would write general dynamics a Check and be darned glad we have  aide s Public criticism of Accord draws rebuke Phyllis Chin and her son Aaron Shellon leave lit Kuala Bumpur court. Woman granted right to Appeal death sentence Kuala Bumpur Malaysia a new caland woman condemned to death Foi drug trafficking was granted the right to Appeal her sentence monday by the malaysian supreme court. Lorraine Phyllis Cohen 46,  23-year old son Aaron Shelton were a res cd at Penang Airport on Malaysia West coast in february 1985, police found More than. 140 Grams of heroin in Cohen and 34 Grams on Shelton. Malaysian Law. Stipulates hat anyone found in Possession of More than i i Grams of heroin is Demeda drug trafficker. They were both charged arid convicted in september under the dangerous drugs act which carries a mandatory Dalh pen ally. -. Cohen was san fenced to death but the judge amended the charge against Shel ton 10 one of Possession and he was Given a . By David Hoffman the Washington Post Washington White House counsel. A do Ydun Gray was Given a Stern rebuke by chief of staff John  monday in the Wake of Gray s unusual Public criticism of lie bipartisan Accord on Central a Myrica thai presi Donl. Bush reached with congressional leaders administration official  and Sununu met briefly with the president and then met without him at which Point the chief of staff expressed his displeasure that Gray spoke out publicly  policy thai Bush had  approved the officials said. We carefully work out something with congressional support a  an accomplish Mem a very positive thing