Weapons: No Wise Cracks: No Wise Cracks

No Wise Cracks

Until the gulf war, the Pentagon was under incessant attack for spending far too much on items that were all too flawed. Desert Storm quieted the critics, but now the pendulum is swinging back again. Air Force officials have confirmed the discovery of tiny fissures in the wing carry-through bulkheads on a number of its 1,875 F-16s ($13.7 million apiece), many of which will have to be modified or prematurely mothballed. They have also found breaks in 37 of their 97 high-tech B-1 bombers, adding to the troubles of the controversial and expensive ($300 million apiece) craft.

Meanwhile, workers have found...

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