The Senate, in an amendment to this year's foreign aid bill, voted last week to eliminate the Maverick missiles from the arms package.

They and other officials have asked lawmakers whether the package would win approval if the Administration relinquished its request for the controversial Maverick missiles.

It may also carry Mark 82 bombs and Maverick missiles.

Only one-third of our F-16s can carry Maverick missiles, and they cannot do their job very well if we do not control the skies.

The original Administration proposal included 1,600 Maverick missiles, as well as tank modernization parts and other hardware.

The aircraft also carries a mixed load of two types of Maverick missile.

To defend against those, the A-10's could stand back from the approaching tanks and fire their Maverick missiles at them from afar.

Saudi Arabia already has 1,500 Maverick missiles.

"So I gave them the targeting information they needed to launch a Maverick missile at the site."

In the latter two conflicts, Maverick missiles nearly always hit the tanks at which they were fired, destroying or disabling them.