The Air Force released a chart showing that the Long-Range Strike Bomber’s development costs, in apples-to-apples, inflation-adjusted dollars, comes in between the amounts spent on the B-1A/B ($19.3 billion) and B-2 ($37.2 billion) bomber programs. Some $1.9 billion has been spent so far for “risk reduction” efforts. Air Force acquisition chief William LaPlante repeated a previous statement that the first five production lots will cover 21 aircraft and have fixed-price options.
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.
