The Air Force is funding long range strike in three phases. Phase one is to upgrade the existing bomber fleet’s capabilities and make them easier to operate. Phase two will be the 2018 platform that will reap today’s state of the art in technology. A third phase will be a 2035 capability that will exploit anticipated—but not yet mature—technologies like hypersonics. An analysis of alternatives now underway will determine the nature of the 2018 solution. In Fiscal 2008 for long range strike, USAF plans to spend $802 million, of which about half funds existing bomber mods.
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.