USAF Scaled Back Vision for New Bomber

[unhappycamper]

USAF Scaled Back Vision for New Bomber

The U.S. Air Force’s new bomber will be less ambitious in its performance goals than once envisioned, the service’s top uniformed leader said.

“We’re not going to be as ambitious as we perhaps were at one time,” said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff, during the National Defense Industrial Association’s Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict Symposium on Feb. 9, referring to the nascent long-range strike program.

“And that kind of thing will make it easier for us to manage and less challenging for industry to keep their promises,” he said.

Schwartz said that in these difficult budgetary times, there is no leeway for “wishful thinking.” He told industry, “It’s a simple thing for me: Deliver what you promised.”

One way the Air Force might scale back its ambitions might be to build the new aircraft using an incremental block approach to adding new capabilities, said Paul Kaminski, chairman of the Defense Science Board. He advocated an open systems approach that would allow the service to add new features to the aircraft as technology advances and as the threat evolves.



And the Air Force Times gushes:


New bomber could conduct long-range missions
By Dave Majumdar - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Feb 12, 2011 14:27:56 EST

The Air Force will develop a bomber that can fly more than 5,000 nautical miles without refueling and conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance inside enemy air defenses, according to current and former service officials and industry analysts.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. The Chinese conduct intelligence, sureillance and reconnaissance all over the

world using the internets and Google Earth. A cheaper method I believe is available to those who want it.