The North Dakota and Louisiana Congressional delegations got together Tuesday to further strategize how they can ensure the Air Force does not pursue its plan to retire 38 B-52 bombers. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) spoke with the Minot (N.D.) Daily News just before going in to the Capitol Hill meeting, saying the group wants to add funding to the appropriations legislation being taken up in May. Conrad and friends already have secured a Senate amendment to the 2007 defense budget request that would add nearly $2 billion over the next five years, specifically to maintain all 94 B-52s. That has to be half the battle.
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.