The Air Force has again delayed the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB) as a key officer told a House panel Tuesday he hoped it would be awarded in the next couple of months.
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Military Deputy, Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch told the House Armed Services (HASC) seapower and projection forces subcommittee the service is getting the start of the program correct. If the Air Force does this, Bunch said, it sets the program up for success the rest of the way.
The Air Force has said repeatedly in the past the LRSB contract would be made in the next few months, only to repeat the phrase when the time came. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition William LaPlante said as much in July (Defense Daily, July 9). The LRSB contract award is being competed between a Lockheed Martin– [LMT] Boeing [BA] team and B-2 stealth bomber incumbent Northrop Grumman [NOC].
Bunch also said the Air Force is focusing on procuring enough new bombers so that it avoids the parts obsolescence issues it faces with a small B-2 fleet of only 20 aircraft. Bunch said the Air Force struggles to get companies to bid for parts production contracts because companies would rather bid for larger programs that feature hundreds or thousands of aircraft. The Air Force has publically stated a goal of procuring 100 new bombers as part of LRSB at a price tag of roughly $500 million each.
“We believe keeping the right LRSB fleet size will make that more easily competed and more sustainable in the long term,” Bunch said.