Aviation Week Speculates on who Will win the Long Range Strike Bomber Contract

The U.S. Air Force will select a prime contractor this year to develop and build its stealthy Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B). Boeing and Lockheed Martin have teamed up to compete against B-2 prime contractor Northrop Grumman, but who will win?

This week, Aviation Week & Space Technology publishes two differing viewpoints on the forthcoming selection. Loren Thomson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, argues that Boeing and Lockheed Martin together have been lead integrators for 95% of the the Air Force’s bomber and strike aircraft, making the teammates the most qualified. Countering that argument, Robert Haffa, former director of the Northrop Grumman Analysis Center, says a deeper dive into Air Force requirements and the competing teams’ capabilities establishes Northrop Grumman as an overwhelming favorite to produce the LRS-B.

link.

Speculation: Boeing Lockheed Team Will Win.

Speculation: Northrop Grumman Will Win.