The aerospace defense industry is “more than ready” to develop the Long-Range Strike Bomber and it’s “time to move forward,” said Rebecca Grant, president of IRIS Independent Research, on Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando. The Obama Administration has given a clear demand signal for the next-generation bomber, and the current bomber force, including the 20 B-2 penetrating, stealth platforms in the inventory, is not sufficient to meet the future threat landscape of more robust air defenses and much larger target sets, she said during the symposium’s panel discussion on long-range strike in a contested environment. Swift program execution of LRS-B is essential to the US defense strategy, said Grant. The new bomber will be critical to the United States maintaining a technological edge over potential adversaries, she said, noting that LRS-B will be the first new US bomber in 34 years.
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury marked the U.S. military's largest air campaign in a generation, with strikes on 13,000 targets in Iran before the first in a series of shaky ceasefires began in April. Now, even as hostilities continue to flare up, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France sees several clear lessons that…
