Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 - Russia's X-31 anti-ship missile is a devastating weapon. Capable of traveling at 2,000 mph, the 15-foot missile skims over the ocean until it slams into its target and explodes. It also can be modified to seek out and destroy radar systems, such as those used to guide the U.S. military's Patriot missiles, defense analysts say. For years, the U.S. military has sought to develop an effective defense against the X-31. In 1999, Boeing Co. announced in St. Louis that it had won an $18.8 million contract from the Navy to acquire 34 of the Russian missiles...

LANCASTER - The five latest additions to Lancaster's Aerospace Walk of Honor will bring to 70 the number of aviation pioneers honored since the walk's inception in 1990. The experience of this year's honorees - James D. Eastham, Robert C. Little, Bruce Peterson, the late Russell M. "Rusty" Roth and Rogers Smith - all flew in the skies above the Antelope Valley during their careers in a series of firsts. Eastham tested and developed the world's first three Mach 3-plus aircrafts, the A-12, YF-12A and SR-71 Blackbird and Little took the F-101A Voodoo supersonic on its very first flight at...