Perry Orders Upgrades For Military Aircraft

Defense Secretary William Perry has ordered immediate safety reviews and upgrades for military passenger aircraft in the aftermath of the crash that killed Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown.

In directives made public Tuesday, Perry set a deadline of next Tuesday for the military to prepare plans to install up-to-date navigational and positioning equipment.

And Perry called for putting voice and flight data recorders - “black boxes” - into all aircraft “as soon as possible.”

Brown’s T-34A jet did not have the black boxes and navigational equipment required on commercial jets.

A senior Air Force official conceded that even President Clinton’s Air Force One does not have a wind-shear detection system.