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New US president could order missile shield review: official
Brussels (AFP) Jan 19, 2009 President-elect Barak Obama could order a review of US missile shield plans after he takes office to see how the system is evolving and whether it is cost effective, a senior US official said Monday. However the official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, underlined that Obama, who will be sworn in on Tuesday, had shown no sign that he would drop the project, which has deeply angered Russia. "I would not at all be surprised for a new administration to want to review: Where do we stand in this programme now? What's the level of technological development? What are the costs?" the official said. But he added: "There's nothing there at this point that would cause you to say that there's a political disagreement or a walking away from missile defence." Obama has yet to say whether he intends to continue with the project developed under the outgoing administration of President George W. Bush, and this has helped feed speculation that it could be wound down. The United States is in the process of finalising an agreement to base missile interceptors and a radar in Poland and the Czech Republic to counter any future threat from "rogue states" like Iran. But Russia fears that the missile shield extension is a threat to its own missile capabilities and has vowed to counter the move. US arms negotiator John Rood said last month that Moscow had hardened its stance toward the missile plans in an apparent bid to "test the mettle" of Obama. The senior US official underscored that the shield was not aimed at Russia. "It will be important to continue to convey that to Russia, that this is about threats emerging in the south and east, not from Russia," he said. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Pratt And Whitney To Power Kinetic Interceptors
Washington (UPI) Jan 14, 2009 The threat is escalating with the proliferation of Russia's advanced anti-ship cruise missiles that can fly at 1,700 mph at sea. They have been sold to China and Iran. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne described the Commonality Pathfinder DACS as an element of the Multiple Kill Vehicle program that would give the agency the capability to carry out controlled-flight hover tests on its two kinetic vehicles. "The Pathfinder DACS will use existing Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne propulsion system technology, which will significantly lower development risk, cost and time," the company said. |
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