US Increases Precision Weapons for Possible Strike Against Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, July 16, 2002

US Increases Precision Weapons for Possible Strike Against Iraq

The United States has increased precision weapons for a possible military strike against Iraq, local press reported Monday.

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The United States has increased precision weapons for a possible military strike against Iraq, local press reported Monday.

American weapon makers have doubled the production rate of laser-guided bombs, increased shifts to assemble satellite-guided bomb tailkits and boosted output at one ammunition factory to its highest level in 15 years, the Associated Press said.

President George W. Bush has vowed to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power, accusing Saddam of making chemical, biological weapons and seeking nuclear bombs.

US weapon makers have produced about 9,000 new laser-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) this year, compared with last year's 10,000 output.

Early this year, a Boeing Co. factory in St. Charles, Missouri,which assembles the JDAM kits, added a second shift of workers to increase production from about 1,000 kits per month to 1,500, saidBoeing spokesman Robert Algarotti.

The company plans to boost production to 2,000 per month by theend of the year and 2,800 per month by the middle of 2003. At those rates, the company could produce another 20,000 or more JDAMs within a year and about 37,000 by the end of 2003.

Raytheon Co. also doubled its production rate and is deliveringlaser-guided bombs five months ahead of schedule, said Raytheon spokeswoman Sara Hammond.

She said Raytheon has sped up the process of upgrading older missiles and has finished upgrading 644 of the missiles six monthsahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri, production is at its highest rate in 15 years. The company recently got a 92 million-dollar contract to make 265 million rounds of small-caliber ammunition for the Army.

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