European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday june 12, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 9 Cost of army chopper rises 40 percent Washington apr the Cost of the army a futuristic Comanche helicopter has increased to an estimated $19.1 million per chopper congressional investigators said wednesday. The general accounting office found that since 1988 the Cost had climbed 40 percent for the lightweight twin engine aircraft designed to replace 3,000 Viet Nam Era helicopters. The Gao said the army should rethink its planned purchases because of the demise of the soviet Union the diminishing military budget the increased Cost of the Comanche and the blurring of the distinct role for the helicopter. A a the Pentagon plans to continue research and development of the Comanche which would perform armed reconnaissance and possibly attack missions until fiscal 1997 before going ahead with purchases. The primary reason for the higher Cost is the army a decision to reduce the num Ber it plans to buy from 2,0% in 1988 to 1,292 in 1990. That pushed the Cost of a single Comanche to $19.1 million $1.4 million More than the helicopter it was designed to complement the Apache attack helicopter. The Overall Cost does not include $1.9 billion for the Longbow radar and missile system. The Gao also found that the Comanche will have some features similar to or better than the Apache although the Light helicopter was designed to augment it. The Superior qualities include the ability to conduct air combat using its guns or missiles and detection of targets at a 40 percent greater Range than the Apache. An army spokesman capt. Dave Stockwell said the service had not received the report and would defer comment until it had a Chance to study it. After the blast two British police officers look Over the damage caused when a Small bomb exploded late wednesday near the House of commons in London. The bomb which broke a few windows in the area exploded shortly after legislators voted to renew Britain a emergency Powers in Northern Ireland for another year. No one claimed responsibility for the blast which followed bombings in London by the Irish Republican army in its guerrilla War against British Rule in Northern Ireland. Students create 50-foot mock up of space plane Starkville miss. Up a a red White and Blue mock up of the x-30 National acro space plane was rolled out wednesday at Mississippi state University. University students Wop the Chance to build the one third scale mock up in a nationwide Competition sponsored by the Asp joint program office composed of Nasa and department of defense officials. The program is a High priority Effort to create a vehicle that will take off like an air plane Fly into Earth orbit and then return through the atmosphere for a runway Landing. A Unasa appreciates the hard work and dedication of the Mississippi state students a said Vincent l. Rausch program director at Nasa Headquarters in Washington. A the spirit and teamwork they showed in getting a Quality x-30 mock up built on time reflects the same cooperation that we have among government Industry and universities in the  the 5,000-Pound mock up was built by 45 students in Mississippi states engineering program. They worked for five months at the University a Raspet flight research Laboratory. The 50-foot-Long Model is made entirely of composite materials so it can tolerate rain Hail and other weather conditions. The space plane mock up will debut at the . Air and Trade show in Dayton Ohio which runs from tuesday through june 21. Other scheduled stops include the experimental aircraft association Fly in at Oshkosh wis., july 31 to aug. 6 and the world space Congress in Washington aug. 28 to sept. 5.boy sues to divorce natural parents dad agrees Tavares Fla. A the biological father of an 11-year-old boy who sued to disown his parents has agreed to let Foster parents adopt his son. The boys birth Mother will still fight the adoption her attorney said. In documents filed tuesday in Lake county circuit court the father a identified in court documents As Ralph k., a 34-year-old air conditioning and heating repairman in St. Louis a signed away parental rights to his son. A i did it because i love him a the father said tuesday from Missouri where the boys biological Mother also lives. A i came Down there to see it for myself a Ralph  Said in an interview published in the Orlando Sentinel. A i saw my boy in really Good health doing great in school and playing baseball. I met the family and 1 really liked  the fathers assent to the adoption eliminates him As a defendant in the lawsuit aiming to free the boy from his biological parents. Gregory  Argues in the lawsuit that his Mother and father neglected and abandoned him and that his father an admitted alcoholic abused him. The child a civil lawsuit argues on constitutional grounds that he has the right to choose his parents. Legal experts have said the Case might be unprecedented in the country. Still named As defendants Are the boy s birth Mother and the state department of health and rehabilitative  project Aims to beautify Simonella by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau with a budget that covers scrap Wood and Metal rocks and Home grown Cactus a group at Nas Simonella Sicily Hopes to landscape areas around the base. What they Lack in Money and time they be made up for in ingenuity a turning a scrounging operation into a contest. A this is one of the larger self help projects you will Ever see a said it. Bob curia a civil Engineer assigned to Public works. A we have some old building surrounded with eucalyptus Trees. There Are dead zones around the Trees from the Large areas of Shade they  engineers and Navy construction specialists at the air stations Public works department plan to landscape the area around the dining facility and turn Over the rest of the turf in question to various base departments and tenant commands. When project Garden party is Complete the Barracks grounds will be adorned with foot Bridges gazebos latticework that will create optical effects boulders Cactus and succulents. Base officials requested $50,000 from naval forces Europe and got it but curia Calls that a a drop in the bucket for the Job. For the rest of the material curia turned to people like an italian base employee whose land like much of Sicily has Bountiful rocks and Cactus just one of several parties to offer items that were of Little use to them but valuable to the Simonella Scro ungers. From the weapons department they obtained timbers used during the War with Iraq that were no longer needed. A we found enough lumber at demo to build All the foot Bridges a curia said referring to the defense re utilization and marketing office. He said they Hope the project will be completed by july 27, when capt. Mike Bruner commander of the . Section of the base will be relieved. Bruner has supported such projects and pushed for the seed Money from naval forces Europe. Base officials Hope . Naval forces Europe commander in chief adm. Mike Boorda will judge the Simonella sailors efforts and select the Best landscaped area