New Probe Reported for McDonnell Fighter

McDonnell Douglas Corp.’s $80-billion F/A-18 E/F “Super Hornet” fighter plane faces new scrutiny from congressional investigators about potential problems with its engines and landing and munitions systems, Defense Week reported. The General Accounting Office, Congress’ investigative arm, is again reviewing the Defense Department’s most expensive weapons program after evaluating Navy and other documents that suggest testing of the plane uncovered several potential glitches, the newsletter reported. McDonnell Douglas spokesman Tom Downey said many of the problems cited by the GAO were identified and fixed during the last year. “There’s nothing new in this,” Downey said. “There’s absolutely nothing that changes the status of the program. It’s still proceeding better than expected.”