- The top weapons buyer for the U.S. Department of Defense says he probably will soon give the Air Force permission to award the contract for the next U.S. long-range bomber because extensive preparations have indicated "we have viable bids."
- The Air Force can proceed only after Frank Kendall, undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, convenes a Defense Acquisition Board review to assess the readiness to award a contract in the competition that pits Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) against a team of Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT).
- The Long-Range Strike Bomber may cost more $800M a piece in today’s dollars when development costs are included, and a fleet of 100 is planned; the bomber, scheduled for first deployment in the mid-2020s, will be one of the Pentagon’s biggest weapons systems over the next decade.