Studies led by the Department of Defense are exploring whether the Air Force needs more than the 100 new bombers it currently plans to buy, according to service officials.
While the Air Force is slated to acquire 100 B-21 Raiders to replace its aging bombers, a higher figure is being considered as part of DoD’s ongoing nuclear posture review and its development of a new national defense strategy, service officials testified May 25 before the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces panel.
“We know we’re going to need at least 100,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements. “We possibly need more than that.”
Citing past non-DoD studies, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) suggested that “the right number of bombers should be north of 160 in order to factor in North Korea and Iran contingencies.” Harris replied that “we do agree that probably 165 bombers is what we need to have” but that “we don’t want to get in front” of DoD’s own analysis.
“These aren’t inexpensive weapon systems,” Harris said. “We don’t want to throw down a number that may change in several months.”
DoD announced in April that it had formally begun the nuclear posture review and would send a report to President Donald Trump by year’s end (Defense Daily, April 17). In January, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told his department to develop a 2018 national defense strategy, including a “new force-sizing construct,” to inform its FY 2019 to FY 2023 defense program.
The B-21, whose prime contractor is Northrop Grumman [NOC], recently completed its preliminary design review, and the Air Force plans to begin fielding the bomber in the mid-2020s. The aircraft is intended to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.
Also at the hearing, Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy for the Air Force acquisition office, said the Air Force’s FY 2018 budget request, unveiled May 23, includes money to study the possibility of placing new engines on the B-52H Stratofortress. The Air Force already is pursuing communication, radar and weapons bay upgrades to keep the aging bomber in service for several more decades.
Bunch also testified that the Air Force is conducting a “schedule risk assessment” for the new KC-46A Pegasus and expects to wrap it up in early June. While prime contractor Boeing [BA] says it still plans to have the first tanker ready to deliver by year’s end, the Government Accountability Office has warned that the program could be delayed because testing and Federal Aviation Administration certification are taking longer than expected.
“The KC-46 test program is progressing, albeit slower than planned,” according to joint written testimony by Bunch, Harris and Maj. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for operations.