Future Long-Range Bomber Likely Won't Replace B-2, Northrop Says

Source URL: http://www.aviationweek.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/B211296.xml
Posted at: http://www.air-attack/com/news/news_article/2221

B-2 bomber prime contractor North-rop Grumman says that based on the in-formation it is gleaning from the U.S. Air Force, the service's next-generation long-range strike (NGLRS) platform will complement the B-2, but not replace it when it enters service around 2018-2020.

The requirements for NGLRS are not likely to firm up until the Air Force completes an analysis of alternatives in March. At this point, Northrop officials say they are expecting the NGLRS to be a subsonic bomber with a range of 2,500-3,000 nautical miles and a 20,000-pound payload capacity. By comparison, the B-2 has a 6,000-mile range and can carry a 40,000-pound load.

Although an unmanned bomber may still be a possibility for NGLRS, it's likely that the aircraft would at least have to have the option of being manned, given its role as a nuclear bomber, according to Dave Mazur, Northrop Grumman's B-2 program manager. However, having an optionally manned design would be more expensive than either going with a manned or unmanned configuration, he said during a briefing in Washington Nov. 28.

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