The Air Force plans to use a mix of Contractor Logistics Support and organic maintenance on initial versions of the Long-Range Strike Bomber, with a plan to transition to an all-organic capability “at the appropriate time,” a service spokeswoman said in response to queries from Air Force Magazine. She also said that while the number of people needed to support the LRS-B is “still being evaluated,” the Air Force expects the number to be “in line with the current bomber fleet;” in other words, not a leap forward in maintainability. The program “took into account lessons learned from previous programs into the design concepts,” she noted, and Air Force acquisition chief William LaPlante said last week that B-2 bomber maintainers were included in design discussions.
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile apparently fell short of expectations, but the AIr Force isn't saying how, reporting only that the test met "several of the objectives" of the test. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control recently said he company is "ready to go" to…