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Show NEWS (Qiy air-launch- time of the accident. The missile had been launched from a Stratofortress bomber belonging to the 379th Wing, Wurtsmith AFB, Mich. Its flight was being moniB-52- G tored throughout the test. An cruise missile anal- ysis group has been formed to investigate the accident. The investigation team is being led by Lt. Col. Roger s from the 49th Test Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La. air-launch- Vil-line- The unarmed missile was undergoing a routine follow-o- n test and evaluation flight and was about one hour and 47 minutes into the flight at the B Continued from Page The ALCM is a and highly accurate weapon designed to attack ground targets. self-guide- low-flyin- d, g crews Strategic Air Command can launch this missile to fly through enemy defenses against targets more than 1,500 miles away. A small jet engine provides thrust for the cruise missile, and wings pro- tests each year. B-5- 2 The last successful test of the missile was in April. The last time an ALCM crashed was in May 1990. Almost two weeks ago, the ALCMs were taken off strategic alert as part of the alert standdown ordered by President Bush. Tests are continuing, however, because the ALCM remains as a valuable part of the United States' strategic arsenal, according to SAC officials. vide aerodynamic lift like an airplane. The missile weighs about 3,200 pounds and is about 21 feet long and two feet in diameter, with a wingspan of about 12 feet. The ALCM became operational in December 1982, and SAC currently owns more than 1,000 of the missiles. SAC conducts approximately five The primary contractor for the ALCM is Boeing Aerospace Co. 1 in a static load event and an integrated combat turn, an event that times a crew performing aircraft chocking, refueling and munitions reloading. They'll also have their aircraft looked at daily and be evaluated during the various stages of getting a plane ready for flight and then checking it over after flight. If there's one advantage the Hill team took with them to Nellis as they left Sunday, it's combat experience, said team leader Lt. Col. Jim Corrigan. Corrigan said the experience his fellow pilots Capts. Mike France, Eric Pell, Robert Hertberg and Stan Colgate gained in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm have prepared them for the pressures they will face at Gunsmoke. In getting ready for Gunsmoke, Corrigan's team began practicing together in early August. Since then, they've dropped 3,000 bombs and flew more than 300 sorties over the Utah Test and Training Range. "We think our team is as good as any team that's going to be there," Corrigan said Sunday before departing Hill. "It's been a slow gradual build-up- , J Corrigan said this year's event should be no different, even with the added competition from the Strike Eagle, which has a few added things that the F-15- six-ma- n I 66 "We're. all dropping the same type of bomb," he said. "They can use their technology for laser ranging, but once they release the bomb it still is an un-guide- Corrigan added that the Hill team is going to be as competitive as any team. "It comes down to who's flying the airplane and who's going to put the pipper on the target when they pickle it. I don't give them an edge at all." Corrigan says he'll also stack his team up against unit there. any other "(Our team) is as talented a group of people as I 've ever seen in my life. I'm absolutely sure we're one of the top teams that is going to show up there. "We know what we have to do," he added. "We have to put the bombs on target and we have to be consistent. If we can do that, I'm not worried about any other team." Hill's team flew its first bombing event Wednesday and was in fifth place at presstime. F-1- 5 99 Lt. Col. Jim Corrigan team leader F-1- 6 but we have all the jets dropping accurately. I think we started to hit the peak last week." team During the last several Gunsmokes, an has won the overall award for best team. Technology surely plays a big part in this. Some of the older aircraft like the and the don't have instrumentation like the F-1- 6 F-l- A-1- ll 0 state-of-the-a- rt F-1- 6. V - fiwilinn Porcrnncil Convenient and Quick Cash!! Cash for personal needs, vacations, etc. IHW UP T $200 INSTANTLY!! Military ID or Civilian ID and Post Dated Check is all you need. IF YOU NEED INSTANT CASH, COME SEE US AT 300 - EAST GENTILE ST. wrrnj v w r nu ' (Inside Layton o. u w J . I SAT. 12 TO LAYTON, UTAH Mini-Mal- l) 4 d bomb." show up. Gunsmoke E doesn't. F-1- 6 I'm absolutely sure we're one of the top teams that is going to Milin r v 3 T.mes erais e missile eras yn Knows to property. 1 H,lop ira An AGM-86cruise missile crashed Tuesday during a test flight on the Utah Test and Training Range. The location of the accident was on Bureau of Land Management land about 40 miles southwest of Delta, Utah, and about a half mile south of U.S. Highway 50 west of Sevier Lake. There were no injuries and no damage B Oct. 11, 1991 u w u.uu i |