Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has introduced
legislation aimed at restoring work now on the next generation bomber. Defense Secretary Robert Gates terminated the 2018 bomber, directed under the last Quadrennial Defense Review, with his 2010 defense budget proposal. Gates has said the Air Force did not define the new bomber’s mission well and wants more study on the platform and the requirement. He has stated that he believes there is a need, just not an immediate one, for a new bomber; he has also stated it might not need a pilot in the cockpit. Some lawmakers and defense analysts have argued that the need is pressing and the requirement was set by the 2006 QDR. Air Force leaders have agreed with Gates that the service had not explained the NGB’s attributes very well; however, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz maintained there is a need for a new long-range strike platform. He expects to see one fielded in the early 2020s. For Thune and others, that is not soon enough. His bill (S. 1044), which is titled “Preserving Future United States Capability to Project Power Globally Act of 2009, would put the bomber back in the 2010 defense budget. (Thune release)
The Air Force is now expecting delivery of the first VC-25B presidential transport by mid-2028, months ahead of its last official projection, a service spokesperson said this week. USAF also announced it is buying two used Boeing 747-8 jetliners for training and spare parts to be delivered in 2026, calling the $400 million deal part of its “acceleration efforts” for the oft-delayed presidential airlift program.
