The Air Force will announce who won the Long-Range Strike Bomber competition soon, but not until all the questions have been answered, service acquisition executive William LaPlante said Thursday. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., LaPlante said he’s determined that the contract won’t go forward until “we get it right,” and he won’t refuse any part of his organization that wants to “check one more thing.” Speaking broadly about his philosophy of acquisition, LaPlante said “to go fast … you have to go slow,” meaning that requirements, terms, and contracts must be set correctly at the outset of a big program, and if they are, the rest will flow smoothly and without delays. As for the bomber, “nothing has changed,” he said. The only time forecast he alluded to was that “for a couple of months” he’s been saying the announcement is “two or three months away.” (Watch LaPlante’s speech.) (LaPlante Powerpoint.)
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?