The aerospace defense industry is “more than ready” to develop the Long-Range Strike Bomber and it’s “time to move forward,” said Rebecca Grant, president of IRIS Independent Research, on Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando. The Obama Administration has given a clear demand signal for the next-generation bomber, and the current bomber force, including the 20 B-2 penetrating, stealth platforms in the inventory, is not sufficient to meet the future threat landscape of more robust air defenses and much larger target sets, she said during the symposium’s panel discussion on long-range strike in a contested environment. Swift program execution of LRS-B is essential to the US defense strategy, said Grant. The new bomber will be critical to the United States maintaining a technological edge over potential adversaries, she said, noting that LRS-B will be the first new US bomber in 34 years.
Lockheed Martin plans to enter the Advanced Tactical Trainer fray to supply the Air Force with a new jet to bridge undergraduate flight instruction and fighter training units, but the company declined to say whether it will offer a T-50A derivative, a different non-developmental airplane, or a clean-sheet design. Its…