The biggest battle may be over whether a beefed-up variant of the Delta IV packing more power and certified safe enough to carry astronauts is an appropriate candidate for NASA's next-generation heavy-lift launcher.
Joanne Maguire, overall head of the company's space programs, said in an interview that the Orion capsule is slated to blast off on top of a heavy-lift version of the U.S. military's DeltaIV rocket.
New Soviet systems include the road-mobile SS-25 and rail-mobile SS-24 ICBMs, a follow-on to the SS-18 silo-based ICBM, the DeltaIV submarine and SS-N-23 SLBM, the Blackjack bomber and new air- and sea-based long-range cruise missiles.