Washington, Rabi Al-Awwal 12, 1432, Feb 15, 2011, SPA -- The United States announced that it will stop funding a multibillion-dollar U.S.-European missile defense program known as the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) after fiscal year 2013, the Pentagon said Monday. “Our partners may go forward with some MEADS, but it is not our plan to do so,” said U.S Undersecretary of Defense Robert Hale, referring to Italy and Germany. MEADS is manufactured by U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin Corporation in partnership with German and Italian companies. Hale said stopping funding for the program after 2013 would avoid costly termination fees. --SPA 11:45 LOCAL TIME 08:45 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/864849