Boeing and Lockheed Martin are expected today to announce a teaming arrangement in the forthcoming competition to build the Air Force’s next-generation bomber. A press advisory issued late yesterday said the two aerospace giants have agreed to “perform studies and system development efforts” for the anticipated Air Force program. USAF wants to field the new bomber in 2018. It is envisioned as a highly survivable, penetrating subsonic manned platform. The Air Force’s newly issued weapons roadmap lists Barksdale AFB, La.; Dyess, AFB, Tex.; Ellsworth AFB, S.D.; and Minot AFB, N.D., as potential beddown sites.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.