Speaking Nov. 18 at an Air Force-industry event at Tinker AFB, Okla., Air Force acquisition chief Sue Payton talked about the desire for “good communication” and the need for the linkage between the service and the industrial base to be “strong” and “trusting” and “simple.” She explained, “When we hand industry a very complex set of requirements to meet, we’re just adding risk to our own delivery schedules and risk to cost growth.” In her view, “The real important thing is to deliver the first baseline system and then gradually spiral in and add more capability as you go in manageable bites.” (Tinker report by Brandice Armstrong)
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.