The next-generation strategic bomber that Russia is developing would stand little chance against modern air defense networks and should be abandoned, stated Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. “Look at the current level of air defense and anti-missile defense—these aircraft will not get anywhere. Not ours, not theirs,” asserted Rogozin on June 6, reported Russia’s state owned RIA Novosti. Defending the project, Russia’s top uniformed military officer, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said Russia has “made some progress in the development of the new bomber” to replace the current TU-95 and TU-160 strategic fleets. “If we reach production phase, this [air]plane will outperform any modern aircraft of the same class, including those built by the Americans,” said Makarov, according to the news agency. Rogozin responded angrily to Makarov, underscoring that the military “is not the only one who makes decisions on the purchase of arms.”
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
