
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 1, 1990                   TAG: 9006010744
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A/10   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

CHENEY CONSIDERS F-117A PROBE OVER

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney is satisfied Air Force officials didn't try to mislead him when he wasn't told for months that a F-117A Stealth fighter missed its original target during the Panama invasion, his spokesman says.

The glitch in communications left the Pentagon chief praising the futuristic aircraft's "pinpoint accuracy" in the wake of the Panama invasion, but ignorant of the plane's exact movements.

Cheney demanded an explanation from the Air Force following reports that one of the two planes that dropped 2,000-pound bombs in a raid had actually hit a hillside some distance from the intended target.

Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said Thursday that Cheney has received a report on the matter from Air Force Inspector General Lt. Gen. Bradley Hosmer.

After getting the results of Bradley's investigation, Cheney "is satisfied there was no intent to withhold information or mislead him," Williams said.

"He finds the Air Force explanation credible and he considers the matter closed," the spokesman added. "The Air Force is recommending changes to fix the problem."

Cheney didn't receive a full report about the F-117A's performance during the Dec. 20 operation until April 3.

During "Operation Just Cause" in Panama, the pilots of two F-117As were told to each drop a 2,000-pound bomb no closer than 50 meters away from two separate Panamanian Defense Forces barracks buildings with the intent of stunning and disorienting the Panamanian forces.

But due to a last-minute misunderstanding between the pilots, one F-117A pilot dropped his bomb near one of the barracks while the other dropped his bomb on a hillside several hundred yards away.

After this became known through news reports in April, Cheney told top Air Force officials he wanted an explanation for why he was not told one of the bombs hit a hillside.

The confusion was found to have taken place between those in the Air Force's chain of command charged with administration of the aircraft and those in the service's upper chain of command, Williams said.

by CNB