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.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.