The Air Force is in the initial stages of formalizing a new bomber aircraft acquisition program. This program, in accordance with Department of Defense (DOD) and congressional mandates, is to produce a new long-range strike aircraft to be operational by 2018. Air Force plans for acquiring a new bomber aircraft have been accelerated by about 20 years from earlier projections because of a combination of the Air Force s desire to retire a portion of its B- 52 fleet and DOD s perception of a developing bomber capability gap. Defense analysts have estimated that it will cost between $8 billion and $10 billion to develop a new bomber using current or soon-to-mature technologies.
Next Generation Bomber: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
2008
34 pages
Report
No indication
English