A key component of US military power is to get a major upgrade. Pentagon officials said Tuesday that Northrop Grumman will build up to 100 new long-range stealth bombers for the Air Force, at a cost of $79 billion. It’s arguably the most important US military initiative in years.
Details of Northrop’s bomber design remain classified, but experts agreeon what is required. “Stealth, a payload capacity of approximately 20,000 pounds and a range of 4,000 to 5,000 nautical miles,” according to Mark Gunzinger, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, DC.
Those capabilities, combined with a network of overseas bases, will allow the US to maintain an important advantage over military rivals. Russia and China have long-range bomber capabilities, but neither can match the reach and sophistication of the US program, which can reliably hit targets anywhere in the world.
READ: Quartz