
Air Force officials and industry executives pleaded with a House Armed Services subcommittee today to extend the 2019 deadline for finding a replacement to the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine that powers the Atlas V, or to consider another launch system with an engine made in the United States.But Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the strategic forces subcommittee, was adamant: He wants replacement for the RD-180 that can be cheaply worked into the Atlas V, and he wants it as…