Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) is taking exception to the Pentagon premise that fielding a new long-range strike platform sooner is more preferable to upgrading the B-2 stealth bomber. At a House hearing on Wednesday, Skelton said, “In my view, a great deal of new capability can be achieved by continuing to modernize our most advanced bomber, the B-2.” He did admit that the B-2 might not fill all requirements “contemplated in the QDR” but maintained it could “satisfy a large percentage of those requirements.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
