Nina Schwartz, a former engineer for TRW, has said in a false claims suit that the company faked key tests in the national missile defense program, overstating the effectiveness of a key component (the targeting sensor). Schwartz insists that tests and a June 1997 launch did not show the stellar performance that the company claimed. The Pentagon and company both denied that any results had been faked or overstated, noting that two independent panels had verified the company's claims and refuted the claims made by Ms Schwartz. If her suit is successful, TRW will have to return half a billion dollars to the US government, and she will receive a portion of this as a reward. The Justice Department has examined her suit and refused to join in it. --Stephen V Cole