The Air Force Research Lab has given $12.5 million to General Electric to provide a near-term solution making aircraft immune to electromagnetic environmental effects. GE must demonstrate that aircraft flight control, electric actuation, and power management and distribution subsystems are resilient against high power microwaves and electromagnetic pulses—by November 2011.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
