The World - News from July 1, 1988

The United States will deploy 51 F-111 bombers armed with nuclear cruise missiles in Britain to replace land-based missiles banned under the superpower arms agreement, Jane’s Defense Weekly reported. Britain’s Defense Ministry acknowledged that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is considering transferring U.S.-based, long-range aircraft to Western Europe. But it said deployment of air-launched cruise missiles “is not under consideration.” The U.S.-Soviet treaty ratified last month does not apply to air-launched missiles. Jane’s quoted Gen. William Kirk, commander in chief of the U.S. Air Force in Europe, as saying the F-111s “would augment the capability of striking targets deep in the Soviet Union from their new bases in the (United Kingdom) when armed with nuclear cruise missiles.”