European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 25, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 5aspin to scrutinize future fighter planes by Joseph Albright Cox news service Washington a the House armed services committees chairman will hold a hearing into whether the Pentagon really needs to spend $450 billion to buy four varieties of advanced fighter planes Over the next 20 years. A the bureaucratic imperative is to buy the shooters a said rep. Les Aspin d-wis., referring to the four air Force and Navy planes that critics contend have overlapping missions. A but in a world of constrained defense budgets you be got to take that number Down and invest some of it in the nuts and bolts of  the most costly project is the air forces f-22 stealth fighter whose Assembly line is beginning to take shape at the Lockheed Plant in Marietta a. But the f-22 also appears to enjoy defense Secretary Dick Cheney a highest priority among the four As measured by the funds he allocated it in next years budget. Last year the general accounting office estimated that in the Long run taxpayers would pay $103.7 billion including inflation to buy the Fleet of 644 f-22s the air Force plans to acquire by 2015. That estimate is Likely to grow at the Asp hearing wednesday. Other planes whose Long Range costs air Force Navy and outside witnesses will be called on to justify a the f/a-18 e and f models a Navy Marine corns plane that would double As a fighter and bomber. As vice . Richard Dunleavy put it last year a you can go from air to air to air to mud at the flip of a  the Navy views this As its highest priority air plane and Hopes to begin buying 546 of them in 1996. The maker would be Mcdonnell Douglas corp. Of St. Louis which built earlier versions of the f-18. A the Multi role fighter sought by the air Force As an a a affordable replacement for the f-16 to drop bombs As Well As win dogfights. It  be As Long Range or have As much stealth technology As the f-22. Air Force Magazine says general dynamics corp. Of fort Worth Texas appears to have a the inside track to win the contract which could eventually mean 2,000 planes. A the Navy a a Long Range stealth fighter that would take off from carriers. Five contractors including Lockheed Are competing for a contract to build 234 planes. To budget watchers the f-22 and the f/a-18 models appear to be better positioned than the others to survive the Competition for dwindling defense dollars a because they Are farthest along in development and already have Well knit networks of military and political supporters. One Issue the Aspin hearing will dramatize is that the Pentagon uses a different method of presenting Long Range costs from the method used by the rest of the  Pentagon normally states the Price of weaponry in a current dollars a thus adopting a bookkeeping Assumption that inflation does no to count. In thl stars and stripes 10 years ago april 25,1982 a the Kremlin warned of Quot serious shortcomings Quot in the Economy following a report that a Western Diplomat described As possibly the worst soviet quarterly economic performance since world War ii. 20 years ago april 25,1972 a opposition Christian democrats seeking to exploit Chancellor Willy Brandts weakened political position announced that they would try to unseat him in a parliamentary vote. 30 years ago april 25,1962 a speaking before a joint session of the two chamber supreme soviet in Moscow foreign minister Andrei Gromyko warned that the soviet Union will test a new types of its nuclear weapons if the United states holds More tests. 40 years ago april 25,1952 a West Berlin police using water hoses and nightsticks fought Back about 10,000 communist demonstrators who tried to invade the Western sectors. 50 years ago april 25,1942 a Gen. James e. Chaney commander of . Army forces in the British Isles announced that a limited number of american troops in Northern Ireland would be granted leaves and furloughs up to nine Days Long. World war50 y1ir� ago Foo a 25 april 1. 9-4.2 the nationalist chinese 5th army drives japanese troops from Tau Ngoyi in Eastern Burma but fails to halt the thrust toward Lashio the important Start of the Burma Road Supply line to China Gen. Harold r. Alexander orders British forces around Meik tila to Retreat North of the Irrawaddy River. In England German bombers strike Bath in the second of the Luftwaffe s a Baedeker  3 men armed with bats ambush guardian Angels founder in nyc new York a three Bat wielding Young men attacked the founder of the guardian Angels Early thursday breaking his hand and injuring his Scalp police said. Curtis Sliwa said he was attacked from behind As he left the groups Headquarters about 5 . He said he was wearing the guardian Angels uniform a a red Beret and a crested to shirt a and was sure his attackers knew who he was. No words were exchanged he said. A if it was just a typical a we done to like you kind of thing usually Guys will talk at you. I think they were just waiting for me and who knows Why a Sliwa said. A thirteen years of busting lots of Guys going after drug dealers and other criminals being High profile with a radio program and All you never know How you set people off a he said. Sliwa said the men got out of a car and seat him with the bats As he was on his Way to the Abc radio studio where he and his wife Lisa broadcast their daily 314-hour local talk show Angels in the morning. Lisa Sliwa who had gone to work from the couples apartment did the show without him. Sliwa and his wife have been attacked before. In 1983, Lisa Sliwa was beaten up at the groups Headquarters by three men Curtis Suwa wears a Sling alter he was attacked thursday on Way to work. Who never were caught. She was in a a football  wheelchair for a time with neck and a Sliwa 38, was a night manager at a nominal injuries. Fast food restaurant in 1979 when he or while setting up a chapter in London Gani Zed 13 youths into a patrol to fight in 1988, Sliwa and an aide were stabbed subway crime. He now claims 67 chapters with darts by a gang he described As in the United states and abroad. Jet scrapes to halt after nose gear cracks by new Day new York Laguardia Airport was shut Down for nearly six hours thursday after the nose wheels of a Delta Jet cracked off on Landing. The plane Slid to a halt and blocked the airports two runways forcing officials to keep Laguardia closed until the crippled Jet could be towed away thursday night. No one was injured. A we estimate that Between 50,000 and 100,000 passengers around the county were affected by the shutdown a said Duncan Pardue a Federal aviation administration spokesman. He said nearly 500 flights were affected. The Airport was closed immediately after flight 702 from West Palm Beach fla., touched Down with a frightening Jolt. Sparks flew from the Jet with 296 passengers and a Crew of 11, As Metal scraped on the Concrete runway said port authority police sgt. Kenn Honig the airports crash fire Rescue Crew chief. A the tires appeared to blow when they hit the ground a said Honig who watched the Landing from the Tarmac. A fire in the nose Section was put out within 40 seconds Honig said. Delta spokesman Neil Monroe denied that there was a fire but said there were Sparks. He described the problem As a a failure of the nose gear. The strut that holds it up broke in two above the Axle. Its vei7  the plane stopped where the airports two runways Cross forcing officials to suspend All arrivals and departures port authority spokesman Tom Middlemiss said. Because the plane had no front wheels Pardue said special equipment had to be trucked in to noise the plane and Tow it to the Gate. The Airport reopened at 8 29 . Edt officials said. Candidate in trouble for shooting Turtle source 2194 Days of War. W. H. Smith a publishers inc. World almanac Book of world War ii Bison books corp 1981 Jefferson City to. A a legislator running for state treasurer was charged thursday with shooting a snapping Turtle after accidentally hitting it with his car. A i thought it was the humane thing to do a said state rep. Mark Holloway. But Holloway was charged with two misdemeanours said Carroll county prosecutor Mike Bradley. Department of conservation spokesman Shannon Cave said it is illegal to kill turtles with a firearm and illegal to fire a gun from a Highway. Holloway was on a Campaign saving through North Central Missouri earlier this month when he ran Over the Turtle. It took him three shots with a Semi automatic to kill the 15-Inch-wide Turtle. A i did no to think the first two hit the Turtle a he said. The shooting was reported by a woman who saw it from her driveway and identified Holloway through his legislative License plates. Each violation is punishable by up to 90 Days in jail and fines of up to $500