P. M. BRIEFING : LTV Halts B-2 Work After Glitch

DALLAS — LTV Corp.’s Aircraft Products Group, a major subcontractor on the B-2 Stealth bomber, has suspended part of its work on the plane because some fasteners used to bolt the aircraft together were mixed up, the company said today.

LTV spokeswoman Georgia Engle said that the discovery was made by LTV and Air Force officials and that the mixup will require reinspection of several aircraft parts.

“Yes, this is going to cost us money,” Engle said. “We haven’t calculated it. We don’t know how much.”

The wing-shaped Stealth bomber is the Dallas-based LTV group’s largest program, employing about 4,000 workers.

The B-2 program has been under pressure in recent weeks from Congress because of the plane’s cost, technical glitches and reduced U.S.-Soviet tensions.