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| B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Robert Farley
The USAF’s next generation bomber will cost between $550 and $810 million – does it have a niche to fill?
What is the LRS-B for? Conflicting reports have emerged over the likely cost of the USAF’s next generation bomber. Last week, the Lieutenant General Charles Davis (USAF) acknowledged that the per unit price for the new stealth bomber will climb from $550 million to $810 million, taking into account research and production costs. A later press release insisted that the USAF remains committed to the $550 million target. Given that (PDF) the B-1B cost twice the estimated development pricetag, and the B-2 nearly triple, it’s not at all unreasonable to suggest that we’ll reach a $1 billion per plane cost by the time the program gets up and running.
This brings us back to the question: What requirement does the LRS-B fill? Much like the B-2 Spirit, it promises to provide long range strike options into contested areas, presumably against highly advanced air defense networks. The most obvious potential opponent for the LRS-B is China, which remains in the process of developing an integrated, sophisticated system of anti-access systems. The new bomber will also presumably replace legacy bomber aircraft, including the B-52, B-2 and the B-1B, on the various missions that they perform. These include everything from maritime strike, to interdiction, to close air support, to nuclear deterrence, to general intimidation.
Read the full story at The Diplomat