Number: RL34406
Title: The Next Generation Bomber: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
Authors: Anthony Murch, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: 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.
Pages: 29
Date: March 7, 2008