AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

Hoffman Sentenced for Illegal Exports: A Los Angeles scientist was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for exporting classified computer programs used in “Star Wars” research and in satellites that detected Iraqi Scud missile launches during the Gulf War. Ronald J. Hoffman, 52, also was fined $225,000. He was convicted Feb. 24 on charges stemming from selling and exporting the computer software for more than $773,000 to four Japanese firms and to U.S. Customs Service agents posing as South Africans.