Lt. Gen. Stephen Wood, USAF’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, said that the Quadrennial Defense Review’s direction to develop a “five-fold increase” in long-range strike capabilities is related to timing rather than a specific number of platforms. Wood told reporters that USAF plans to sharply accelerate the timeline for fielding a new bomber-like capability, from 2037 to “within the 2020 timeframe.”
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.