1、Long Range Strike Bomber Begins to EmergeSeptember 2, 2015 (IN10351) | |Jeremiah Gertler, Specialist in Military Aviation (jgertlercrs.loc.gov, 7-5107)In anticipation of a contract award in the next couple of months, and in response to press speculation about its capabilities, Air Force officials ha
2、ve begun revealing information about the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, one of the Air Forces top three procurement priorities. The LRS-B program is intended to yield 80 to 100 strategic bombers to replace aging B-52s and B-1s, beginning in the mid-2020s. This CRS Insight is based on a di
3、scussion with Air Force officials on September 1, 2015.Basic DesignFollowing cancellation of the previous Next-Generation Bomber program in 2009, Air Force and Department of Defense officials conducted a front-end analysis looking at different concepts to accomplish the long-range strike mission. Op
4、tions included large aircraft carrying long-range standoff weaponry, conventionally armed ballistic missiles, air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, and other configurations. The resulting LRS-B, approved by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2011, is an optionally-manned penetrating bomber.Although
