[20151028]IN10384_授予空军轰炸机合同.pdf

CRS INSIGHTAir Force Bomber Contract AwardedOctober 28, 2015 (IN10384) | Related AuthorJeremiah Gertler |Jeremiah Gertler, Specialist in Military Aviation (jgertlercrs.loc.gov, 7-5107)This CRS Insight includes information previously published in CRS Insight IN10351, Long Range Strike Bomber Begins to Emerge, on September 2, 2015.Last night, the Department of Defense announced its intention to award the contract to build the new Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) to Northrop Grumman Corporation. The program will continue under the LRS-B name; the Air Force has not yet assigned the aircraft a B-3-style type designation.The other competitor, a team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has not announced whether they plan to protest the award. If the contract proceeds without protest or Northrop wins the protest, plans call for the company to build 100 strategic bombers to replace aging B-52s and B-1s, beginning in 2025. LRS-B is one of the Air Forces top three procurement priorities.If the award stands, Lockheed Martin will remain the principal supplier of purpose-built combat aircraft to the Department of Defense, as shown in the following chart by the Teal Group aerospace consultancy. LRS-B