2037 bomber controversy

Last updated
2037 bomber
General information
Issued by United States Air Force
Statusprojected
History
Successors Next-Generation Bomber
Long Range Strike Bomber

The 2037 bomber was a short-lived 1999 United States Air Force proposal to modernize and extend the service life of the U.S. bomber fleet and defer the introduction of a replacement "capability" (a strategic bomber or some future equivalent platform) until 2037. The plan was criticized by lawmakers and Pentagon officials, some of whom believed the existing fleet was in danger of becoming outmoded and overstretched. [1] Amidst this controversy, Air Force officials revised this plan in 2001 to put forward an accelerated timeline for a new bomber. Accordingly a Next-Generation Bomber program was started with the goal of introducing a bomber in 2018, but this was canceled in 2009. This program was restarted as the Long Range Strike Bomber which resulted in the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, currently expected to enter service in 2026–2027.

Contents

B-2 production termination and looming bomber gap

In 1998, a Congressional panel studied the merits of re-starting B-2 Spirit production, which had ended prematurely at 21 aircraft, far short of the originally planned 132 stealth bombers. The panel nonetheless endorsed ending production in favor of re-allocating resources towards B-2 upgrades or developing technology for a future new-build aircraft. [2]

1999 Long Range Bombers projection 1999 USAF bomber roadmap.png
1999 Long Range Bombers projection

A few weeks later Congress ordered the Department of the Air Force to update its bomber roadmap, last reviewed in 1992. The resulting Long Range Bombers white paper released in March 1999 projected that a new "capability" would be needed to be fielded in the 2037 time frame. The paper estimated that due to mishap attrition and other factors other than useful service life, the number of B-1 Lancer would not meet Air Force requirements of 89 aircraft by 2018. For the B-2, the number of aircraft would slip below the service's requirements of 19 aircraft by 2027 due to a combination of mishaps and retirements due to end of service life. It predicted it would need to begin retiring B-1s at the end of their service life around 2038. [3] [2] [4] For the B-52 Stratofortresses, the report estimated the service would be "unable to maintain our requirement of 62 aircraft by 2044." The Air Force's near-term strategic bombing needs could be met through service extensions and technology enhancements offering "a tenfold increase in bomber lethality" compared to 1992, according to the paper. [2] According to that roadmap, a Mission Area Assessment would have to be completed by 2013 with an acquisition program beginning in 2019 in order to support initial operational capability (IOC) in 2037. [3]

The white paper did not identify the replacement "capability" as a bomber or any specific type of aircraft because, according to the report, "technological advances may lead us to a configuration or platform that in no way resembles today’s bomber aircraft." [5]

The Department of the Air Force's contentment with the size and age of the bomber fleet disappointed some members of Congress who believed a new aircraft would be needed before 2037. [2] The case for a hastened timeline was bolstered, some observers believed, by the DoD's 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review, which warned of increasing threats to U.S. power projection. [6] The report said developments in adversary air defenses would threaten U.S. air power in future conflicts, and that access to enemy denied areas would be limited to stealth aircraft. [7]

The Air Force conceded that a new bomber would be needed earlier when it updated its service life projections in November 2001. [8] In addition to acknowledging the threats discussed in the QDR report, the new paper anticipated a capability gap due to a strategic shift from nuclear deterrence to conventional bombing, and the loss of B-52's low-level flying mission capability. The paper identified the possibility for the Air Force to begin its acquisition program in 2012–2015 to support IOC in the 2025–2030 timeframe. [8] The paper's recommendations were adopted as Air Force policy by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Edward C. Aldridge Jr. [9]

Legacy

The Department of Defense continued to advocate for a later bomber introduction date. In its Nuclear Posture Review delivered in December 2001, the DOD claimed the Air Force was aiming to introduce its next bomber in the 2040s; internally, this gap still caused concern and some Air Force officials expressed support for complementing the existing strategic bomber fleet with an "interim" strike capability fulfilled by "regional bombers", such as the proposed Lockheed Martin FB-22, Northrop Grumman FB-23, or Boeing B-1R. [10] [11] [12] Not until the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review did the DoD formalize its intent to bring the project forward almost two decades. [13] [14]

The Air Force next began the Next-Generation Bomber program with a target service entry date in 2018, but this was suspended in 2009. Work resumed under the Long Range Strike Bomber program (LRS-B), which resulted in the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. [15] [12]

Debates persist within the Air Force ranks about the 2037 bomber and the future of long-range strike. The Air Force's interest, or lack thereof, in a follow-on bomber to the LRS-B has not been publicly divulged. In 2007, defense industry analyst Rebecca Grant called the bomber a "mythical beast" and lamented the Air Force's continued fixation on it. [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop B-2 Spirit</span> American strategic stealth bomber

The Northrop B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying wing with a crew of two, the plane was designed by Northrop as the prime contractor, with Boeing, Hughes, and Vought as principal subcontractors, and was produced from 1987 to 2000. The bomber can drop conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as up to eighty 500-pound class (230 kg) Mk 82 JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400-pound (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged in-service aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockwell B-1 Lancer</span> American strategic bomber by Rockwell International, later Boeing

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the "Bone". As of 2024, it is one of the United States Air Force's three strategic bombers, along with the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress. Its 75,000-pound (34,000 kg) payload is the heaviest of any U.S. bomber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strategic Air Command</span> 1946–1992 US Air Force major command

Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile components of the United States military's strategic nuclear forces from 1946 to 1992. SAC was also responsible for strategic reconnaissance aircraft; airborne command posts; and most of the USAF's aerial refueling aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAM-87 Skybolt</span> Air-launched ballistic missile Air-to-surface missile

The Douglas GAM-87 Skybolt was a hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) developed by the United States during the late 1950s. The basic concept was to allow US strategic bombers to launch their weapons from well outside the range of Soviet defenses, as much as 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from their targets. To do this in an air-launched form, a lightweight thermonuclear warhead was needed. Initially, the W47 from the Polaris missile was selected, but it was later replaced by the W59 from the Minuteman missile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force</span> Air service branch of the U.S. military

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy, global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGM-30 Minuteman</span> American ICBM, in service

The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. As of 2024, the LGM-30G is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and represents the land leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, along with the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strategic bomber</span> Type of military aircraft

A strategic bomber is a medium- to long-range penetration bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, penetrators, fighter-bombers, and attack aircraft, which are used in air interdiction operations to attack enemy combatants and military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly into enemy territory to destroy strategic targets. In addition to strategic bombing, strategic bombers can be used for tactical missions. There are currently only three countries that operate strategic bombers: the United States, Russia and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin FB-22</span> Proposed bomber aircraft for the U.S. Air Force derived from the F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin FB-22 was a proposed supersonic stealth bomber aircraft for the United States Air Force. Its design was derived from the F-22 Raptor stealth air superiority fighter. Lockheed Martin proposed its design in the early 2000s with support from certain Air Force leaders as an interim "regional bomber" to complement the aging U.S. strategic bomber fleet. Lockheed Martin suspended work on the concept following the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, which called for a new and much larger strategic Next-Generation Bomber by 2018; this program had morphed into the Long Range Strike Bomber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems</span>

Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems, or J-UCAS, was the name for the joint U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force unmanned combat air vehicle procurement project. Originally two separate projects of the U.S. Air Force and Navy respectively: UCAV and UCAV-N; both programs merged in 2003. The two vehicles involved in J-UCAS were the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus, orginially part of UCAV and UCAV-N repectively. J-UCAS was managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, it was stated that the J-UCAS program would be terminated and instead a new long-range strategic bomber program, Next-Generation Bomber, for the Air Force would launch. The program was revitalized into a Navy-only program named UCAS-D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGM-86 ALCM</span> Air-to-ground strategic cruise missile

The AGM-86 ALCM is an American subsonic air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) built by Boeing and operated by the United States Air Force. This missile was developed to increase the effectiveness and survivability of the Boeing B-52G and B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers, allowing the aircraft to deliver its payload from a great distance. The missile dilutes an enemy's forces ability to respond and complicates air defense of its territory.

The Royal Australian Navy, although a significant force in the Asia-Pacific region, is nonetheless classed as a medium-sized navy. Its fleet is based around two main types of surface combatant, with limited global deployment and air power capability. However, in 2009, a white paper, Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030, was produced by the Australian government which set out a programme of defence spending that will see significant improvements to the RAN's fleet and capabilities. In recent times, Australia released its Surface Fleet Review in 2024, which analyses the future of the RAN and shows what the Government will procure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGM-158 JASSM</span> American low observable air-launched cruise missile

The AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile is a low detection standoff air-launched cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Armed Forces. It is a large, stealthy long-range weapon with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) armor piercing warhead. It completed testing and entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2009, and has entered foreign service in Australia, Finland, and Poland as of 2014. An extended range version of the missile, the AGM-158B JASSM-ER, entered service in 2014 as well as an anti-ship derivative, the AGM-158C LRASM in 2018. By September 2016, Lockheed Martin had delivered 2,000 total JASSMs comprising both variants to the USAF. In August 2024 the US was reportedly considering supplying JASSM missiles to Ukraine.

The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) was a study by the United States Department of Defense that analyzes strategic objectives and potential military threats. The Quadrennial Defense Review Report was the main public document describing the United States' military doctrine. Section 941 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2017 replaced the QDR with the National Defense Strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear triad</span> Set of three types of nuclear-strike weapons

A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military force structure of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and strategic bombers with nuclear bombs and missiles. Countries build nuclear triads to eliminate an enemy's ability to destroy a nation's nuclear forces in a first-strike attack, which preserves their own ability to launch a second strike and therefore increases their nuclear deterrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next-Generation Bomber</span> US program to develop a new medium bomber

The Next-Generation Bomber was a program to develop a new medium bomber for the United States Air Force. The NGB was initially projected to enter service around 2018 as a stealthy, subsonic, medium-range, medium payload bomber to supplement and possibly—to a limited degree—replace the U.S. Air Force's aging bomber fleet. The Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) heavy bomber program superseded the NGB program.

The planning for the future of the Royal Air Force involves supporting ongoing British military operations and the introduction of new aircraft types including unmanned aerial vehicles and the BAE Systems Tempest sixth-generation fighter in the 2030s. Priorities include greater focus on network enabled capability and mixing crewed fighter jets with UAVs and swarming drones. The new initiative will focus on increasing interoperability with members of NATO and becoming carbon net-zero, with strategies such as using sustainable aviation fuels in aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing B-52 Stratofortress</span> US Air Force strategic bomber (1955–present)

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s, and NASA for nearly 50 years. The bomber can carry up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons and has a typical combat range of around 8,800 miles (14,200 km) without aerial refueling.

A sixth-generation fighter is a conceptualized class of jet fighter aircraft design more advanced than the fifth-generation jet fighters that are currently in service and development. Several countries have announced the development of a national sixth-generation aircraft program, including the United States, Russia and China. Whilst other countries have joined collaborative multinational projects such as Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom with Global Combat Air Programme, and France, Germany and Spain with FCAS; in order to spread development and procurement costs. The first sixth-generation fighters are expected to enter service in the 2030s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Range Strike Bomber</span> US Air Force program in support of Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider development

The Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) is a development and acquisition program to develop a long-range strategic bomber for the United States Air Force, intended to be a heavy-payload stealth aircraft that can deliver thermonuclear weapons. Initial capability is planned for the mid-2020s. A request for proposals to develop the aircraft was issued in July 2014. The Air Force plans to procure at least 100 and potentially up to 200 of the LRS-B aircraft for an estimated $550 million each. A development contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman for its B-21 Raider in October 2015. Much about the project is highly classified and little information is available to the public. As of late 2019, it was known that construction of the aircraft had begun, and on December 2, 2022, it was unveiled to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider</span> American stealth bomber aircraft

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is an American strategic bomber in development for the United States Air Force (USAF) by Northrop Grumman. Part of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, it is to be a stealth intercontinental strategic bomber that can deliver conventional and thermonuclear weapons. Named "Raider" in honor of the Doolittle Raiders of World War II, the B-21 is meant to replace the Rockwell B-1 Lancer and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit by 2040, and possibly the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress after that.

References

  1. ↑ Hebert, Adam J. (August 2007). "Great Expectations" (PDF). Air Force Magazine . 90 (8). The Air Force Association: 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-07. Retrieved 28 April 2021. The controversial 1999 bomber roadmap proposed delaying the start of a new acquisition program until 2019 and not fielding that bomber until 2037
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tirpak, John A. (1 June 1999). "The Bomber Roadmap". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 U.S. Air Force White Paper on Long Range Bombers (PDF) (Report). U.S. Air Force. 1 March 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Grant, Rebecca (February 2007). Return of the Bomber: The Future of Long-Range Strike (Report). Air Force Association. pp. 11, 17, 29.
  5. ↑ Warwick, Graham (24 March 1999). "Bomber roadshow". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Axe, David (19 May 2014). "Will the $55 billion bomber program fly?". Center for Public Integrity . pp. V, 27. Retrieved 20 April 2021. the Air Force believed it could wait until 2037 for a new bomber. But in 2001, a Defense Department strategy review warned that another world power could launch a surprise attack on a U.S. ally that U.S. ground and naval forces could not prevent
  7. ↑ 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review Report (PDF). Department of Defense. 30 September 2001. pp. 30–31. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 U.S. Air Force Long-Range Strike Aircraft White Paper (Report). U.S. Air Force Research - U.S. Department of Defense. November 2001. p. 27. Retrieved 28 April 2021– via Digital Commons University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The last bomber service life analysis was accomplished in FY98-FY99. This study indicated a Mission Area Assessment was required in 2013 to support a bomber replacement IOC date of 2037
  9. ↑ Watts, Barry D. (April 2005). "Long-Range Strike: Imperatives, Urgency and Options" (PDF). Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments: 15. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Tirpak, John A. (October 2002). "Long Arm of the Air Force" (PDF). Air Force Magazine. 85 (10): 28–34. ISSN   0730-6784. OCLC   5169825 . Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "YF-23 re-emerges for surprise bid". Flight International . 13 July 2004. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012.
  12. 1 2 Murch, Anthony (7 March 2008). "The Next Generation Bomber: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Hebert, Adam J. (March 2008). "Issue Brief". Air Force Magazine . 91 (3). The Air Force Association: 22. ISSN   0730-6784. Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. Retrieved 28 April 2021. In its 1999 "Bomber Roadmap", the Air Force famously declared that it had no need for a new long-range strike aircraft until 2037. It soon wavered but did not change course by much. Then, early in 2006, the Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review set a new goal: USAF, the QDR decreed, will have a new bomber ready for combat in 2018
  14. ↑ Jeremiah Gertler (14 April 2016). "Air Force B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber" (PDF). Ars Technica . Congressional Research Service . Retrieved 20 April 2021. Prior to 2006, the Air Force had indicated that its fleet of B-1, B-2, and B-52 bombers would suffice until 2037 [...] The 2006 QDR's call for a new bomber that would enter service in 2018 thus accelerated Air Force plans for fielding a new bomber by almost 20 years.
  15. ↑ Hebert, Adam J. (1 November 2004). "Long-Range Strike in a Hurry". Air Force Magazine. Vol. 87, no. 11. pp. 26–31. Retrieved 30 December 2015. (PDF version)
  16. ↑ "U.S. Air Force: No 2009 Money for Next-Gen Bomber". Defense News. 2007.[ dead link ]
  17. ↑ Weinberger, Sharon (10 December 2007). "Future Bomber: No Money, No Problem". Wired . Retrieved 19 April 2021. Saving future technologies (like supersonic speed, death beam weapons, and unmanned flight) for the quasi-mythical 2037 bomber.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.