News In Brief

Soviets' own cruise version may be near deployment

The Soviet Union has developed its own, probably pirated, version of the US cruise missile and it is expected to be deployed early next year, the authoritative Jane's Defense Review said Wednesday.

''The Soviet version of the US cruise missile, the SSN-X21, is currenty creating a great deal of concern among decisionmakers in Washington,'' the periodical said. The review is put out by Jane's Publishing Company, an international authority on military hardware. One specialist said information in the report indicated at least some of the technology used to make the missile must have been obtained clandestinely.