STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC
The US Air Force is questioning the logic of a bomber modernisation strategy focused on preserving the service's existing fleet until an unspecified replacement is delivered in 2037.
Air force leaders have debated alternatives for several years, but are expected within the next month to unveil a roadmap for steadily improving the air force's long-range strike capability, says Brig Gen Stephen Goldfein, the air force's director of operational capability requirements. "Maybe we've studied this to death," he says.
The initiative could finally codify operational requirements for near-term connectivity and targeting upgrades for existing bombers, and formally call for the development of a variety of new platforms. These could range from hypersonic weapons to massive arsenal ships, says the USAF. Moreover, the 2037 fleet replacement strategy for the Boeing B-52, Rockwell B-1B and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit faces a new round of questioning. "Is that path that we're on a logical path, or not?" asks Goldfein.
The effort is partially aimed at countering a renewed push by some lawmakers to launch a next-generation bomber programme. Congress provided the air force $45 million in the fiscal year 2004 budget to begin development of a new bomber.
There is also pressure to reactivate at least some of the roughly 30 B-1Bs that secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld ordered to be retired in 2001.
The air force would prefer to craft a wide-ranging long-range strike capability that is not linked exclusively to a handful of platforms. In describing the platform that may emerge as the air force's eventual replacement for today's bomber fleet, says Goldfein, the term "bomber might not be the right word".
A requirements summit held on 12 December, led by air force vice chief of staff Gen Michael Moseley, endorsed the initiative.
The long-range strike plan is expected to be condensed into recommendations and sent for review to the air force's general staff within a few weeks. The plan will be used to guide the air force's long-term budget strategy and define its current proposals during the next round of budget negotiations inside the Pentagon and in Congress.
Source: Flight International
