The recent decision to move the in-service date for a next-generation bomber to 2018, announced in the QDR, is a good thing, Blechman added. The change creates motivation simply did not exist when the target date for a new system was the seemingly arbitrary 2038. The drawback of acceleration, he noted, is that advanced capabilities such as hypersonics will probably not be realistic options for this next-generation bomber.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.