Bush wins Stealth vote but loses on ‘star wars’

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 8

Bush wins Stealth vote but loses on ‘star wars’

NZPA-Reuter Washington President George Bush won a victory in the Senate yesterday with conditional approval of the costly radar-evading Stealth bomber, but the House of Representatives slashed his “star wars” anti-missile research request. The Senate approved by 98-1 Mr Bush’s request for money to build three of the black, batwing B-2 Stealth bombers next year on condition that test models pass performance tests.

An amendment by Senator Edward Kennedy, approved by voice vote, would require a study of the cost savings and risks of cutting the SUS7O billion ($NZ120.06 billion),. 132-bomber programme to as few as 60 bombers but would not cut current funds.

"The B-2 has already dropped its first bomb — the $7O billion price tag,” Mr Kennedy said. “We need to find a means to lower the over-all cost of the B-2 programme. The only way to do that is to buy fewer bombers.” The Air Force says the

Stealth, which made its first test flight early last week, is the only American bomber that will be able to evade Soviet radar after the late 1990 s because of its non-metal materials and sleek shape. The Defence Secretary, Dick Cheney, told reporters he did not like the Senate restrictions but liked them better than a provision expected to be voted on in the House today that would force him to cut the programme to reduce costs. Mr Bush and his aides told Congress members on Friday that he would have to reconsider United States-Soviet negotiations on halving long-range nuclear missiles if Congress killed the B-2, because the missile cut would shift reliance to bombers. Earlier, the House voted 248-175 to cut Mr Bush’s SUS 4.9 billion (SNZB.4 billion) "star wars” request to SUS3.I billion (SNZS.3I billion) despite Mr Cheney’s warning that the cut would delay a decision on deploying the defence system until the next cen-

tury. “I was disappointed,” Mr Cheney told reporters. “It would seriously undermine the programme. But I believe the Senate will do better.” Mr Bush had appealed to Congress in a letter this week to approve his request for “star wars,” or Strategic Defence Initiative, research to determine if space and ground weapons could shoot down enemy missiles. The House approved amendments to use SUSISO million (5NZ257.3 million) of the reduction to buy more Army helicopters and other conventional weapons, and to use SUS3OO million (5NZ514.58 million) to clean up environmental damage at United States nuclear-fuel plants. The House and Senate took the action while debating SUS3OS billion ($NZ523.15 billion) in defence authorisation bills for next year. Conflicting Congressional votes on “Star Wars” and the B-2 would have to be reconciled in House-Senate committees.