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

DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990                   TAG: 9007310119
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

HOUSE PANEL VOTES TO END B-2 FUNDING

A House Armed Services subcommittee voted Monday to eliminate all $3.8 billion in procurement money President Bush had sought for the B-2 bomber, lawmakers said.

The panel on procurement and military nuclear systems adopted the proposal of its chairman, Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wis., to stop buying the stealth aircraft after the 15 planes currently under development are delivered to the Air Force.

The Armed Services subcommittee on research and development meets today to take up the president's request for money for B-2 testing. The full committee meets later in the day to finish its $283 billion defense bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

In other action, the panel eliminated the $1.3 billion the Pentagon sought for the program to move the MX nuclear missile from fixed silos to railroad cars and zeroed out the $1.3 billion for the AMRAAM anti-aircraft missile.

Rejecting Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's attempts to kill the V-22 Osprey, the panel added $165 million for advance procurement of the tilt-rotor assault transport.

The panel also restricted the purchase of the C-17 transport aircraft, requiring Cheney to certify that the plane's first successful flight has been demonstrated.

The panel slashed $1.2 billion from the classified A-12 Navy attack aircraft program.

The subcommittee's action on the B-2 reflected the eroding congressional support for the aircraft, which is manufactured by the Northrop Corp. Lawmakers have expressed sticker shock over the cost of a single plane - nearly $865 million. The B-2 still has substantial support in the Senate.

by CNB