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27-581: The Next-Generation Bomber ( NGB ; unofficially called the 2018 Bomber or B-3 Bomber ) was a program to develop a new medium bomber for the United States Air Force . The NGB was initially projected to enter service around 2018 as a stealthy, subsonic, medium-range, medium payload bomber to supplement and possibly—to a limited degree—replace the U.S. Air Force's aging bomber fleet ( B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer ). The Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) heavy bomber program superseded

54-505: A capability gap due to a strategic shift from nuclear deterrence to conventional bombing, and the loss of B-52's low-level flying mission capability. The paper said the Air Force would need to begin its acquisition program in 2012–2015. The paper's recommendations were adopted as Air Force policy by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Edward C. Aldridge Jr. Internally, some Air Force officials also considered filling

81-429: A combination of mishaps and retirements due to the end of service life. It predicted it would need to begin retiring B-1s at the end of their service life around 2038. The Department of the Air Force's contentment with the size and age of the bomber fleet disappointed some members of Congress who believed a new aircraft would be needed before 2035. The case for a hastened timeline was bolstered, some observers believed, by

108-456: A competition was under way with a target delivery in the mid-2020s. On 27 October 2015, Northrop Grumman was awarded the contract to build the new bomber. The design goals in January 2011 were: An August 2008 paper by Northrop Grumman highlighted the following trends and requirements: Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Medium bomber The term

135-441: A manned subsonic bomber at a May 2007 Air Force Association sponsored event. He later stated that a manned subsonic bomber provides the "best value" to meet the required range and payload performance by 2018. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), directed the Air Force to develop a new long-range precision strike capability by 2018; the previous "regional bomber" concepts were also dropped in this QDR. USAF officials identified

162-440: A new bomber type aircraft to augment the current bomber fleet which now consists of largely 1970s era airframes, with a goal of having a fully operational aircraft on the ramp by 2018. Some speculation suggested that the next generation bomber might be hypersonic and unmanned. However, these were put to rest when US Air Force Major General Mark T. Matthews , head of ACC Plans and Programs stated that available technology indicates

189-433: A nominal load of 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) or more, and light bombers carried up to 2,000 lb (907 kg). These distinctions were beginning to disappear by the middle of World War II, when the average fighter aircraft could now carry a 2,000 lb (907 kg) bombload. Advances in powerplants and designs eventually allowed light bombers , tactical bombers , and later jet fighter-bombers to take over

216-454: Is a long-range bomber aircraft designed to intrude against and penetrate enemy defenses. The term is mostly applied to aircraft that fly at low altitude to avoid radar , a strategic counterpart to the shorter-ranged tactical interdictor designs like the TSR-2 and F-111 Aardvark . The term can be applied to any aircraft that is designed to survive over enemy airspace, and has been used for

243-491: Is no longer used, development of aircraft that fulfil a 'medium bomber' mission in all but name continued and these have been employed in various post-World War II conflicts; examples include dedicated tactical bombers such as the Su-24 , Su-34 , F-111 , J-16 and F-15E which have greater payload and range capability than fighter-bombers, but less than heavier strategic bombers. Penetrator (aircraft) A penetrator

270-721: The English Electric Canberra (along with its derived U.S. counterpart, the Martin B-57 ) and the Soviet Ilyushin Il-28 "Beagle". Subsequent to World War II, only the U.S. Strategic Air Command ever used the term "medium bomber" in the 1950s to distinguish its Boeing B-47 Stratojets from somewhat larger contemporary Boeing B-52 Stratofortress "heavy bombers" in bombardment wings (older B-29 and B-50 heavy bombers were also redesignated as "medium" during this period). This nomenclature

297-549: The F-35 and F-22 to help a more affordable and versatile bomber complete its missions. On 13 September 2010, U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said that long range strike would continue cautiously with proven technologies and that the plan to be submitted with the 2012 budget could call for either a missile or an aircraft. The bomber is to be nuclear-capable, but not certified for nuclear use until later. On 24 February 2012, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley announced that

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324-739: The penetration fighter designs intended to escort bombers. The classic penetrator design is the Rockwell B-1 Lancer , where the term was first widely used. The larger Tupolev Tu-160 is also a member of this class. Other aircraft, like the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and some versions of the F-111 have also been adapted to this role. More modern designs, like the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit , can be technically classified as penetrators, but

351-482: The 2012-15 timeframe in order to transfer into a developmental program. The sinking of ex-USS Schenectady as a test during Operation Resultant Fury in 2004 demonstrated that heavy bombers could successfully engage naval targets on their own. This led to the requirement for a new bomber that could survive against modern defenses. In 2004–2006, the USAF Air Combat Command studied alternatives for

378-518: The 2018 date. This was caused not only by budget considerations as the NGB was already experiencing spiraling costs due to numerous mission additions and requirements creep, but also by nuclear arms treaty considerations. On 19 May 2009, Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said that the USAF's focus in the 2010 budget was on "Long-range strike, not next-generation bomber" and will push for this in

405-399: The Air Force inventory allowed under strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty to be armed with nuclear cruise missiles. Major consideration was paid to operation readiness and flexibility. In 2006, the program expected that a prototype could be flying as early as 2009. In September 2007, several Air Force generals stressed that it was still their plan to field the bomber by 2018. In order to meet

432-552: The DoD's 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review , which warned of increasing threats to U.S. power projection . The report said developments in adversary air defenses would threaten U.S. air power in future conflicts, and that access to enemy denied areas would be limited to stealth aircraft. The Air Force conceded that a new bomber would be needed earlier when it updated its service life projections in November 2001. The new paper anticipated

459-499: The NGB program. In 1999, the Air Force released a white paper stating that it would need a new "capability" around 2037 to replace retiring bombers. The paper estimated that due to mishap attrition and other factors other than useful service life, the number of B-1 Lancer would not meet Air Force requirements of 89 aircraft by 2018. For the B-2 , the number of aircraft would slip below the service's requirements of 19 aircraft by 2027 due to

486-490: The No. 2 Pentagon supplier, would be the primary contractor with about a 60% share, and Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor, would have around a 40% share, according to sources familiar with the companies' plans. Northrop Grumman , another major defense contractor, received $ 2 billion in funding in 2008 for "restricted programs" – also called black programs – for a demonstrator that could fly in 2010. The Air Force

513-466: The QDR. In June 2009, the two teams working on NGB proposals were told to "close up shop". On 1 March 2010, Boeing said that the joint project with Lockheed Martin had been suspended and on 24 June 2010, Lieutenant General Philip M. Breedlove said that the term "next-generation bomber" was dead and that the Air Force was working on a long-range strike "family" that would draw on the capabilities of systems like

540-688: The gap by complementing the aging strategic bomber force with an interim "regional bomber", such as the proposed Lockheed Martin FB-22 , Northrop Grumman FB-23 , and Boeing B-1R . In June 2003, Jane's Defence Weekly reported upon ongoing study efforts within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and USAF Air Staff to prepare to start a new long-range strike system, which would not necessarily be an aircraft (other options being discussed included ultra-high-speed munitions ), that could mature technologies in

567-401: The new bomber as having top-end low-observability characteristics with the ability to loiter for hours over the battlefield area and respond to threats as they appear. Major General David E Clary, ACC vice-commander, summed it up by saying the new bomber would " penetrate and persist". Deployment of cruise missiles was another issue for the new bomber. The B-52 is the only aircraft currently in

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594-501: The roles performed by mediums. After the war, use of the term generally vanished; some of this was due to mass demobilization of the participant air forces' existing equipment, and the fact that several of the most-produced medium bomber types were now technologically obsolescent. Although a number of later aircraft were designed in this performance and load-carrying range, they were henceforth referred to as tactical bombers or strike aircraft instead. Examples of post-war mediums include

621-629: The tight schedule, the Air Force would initially pursue a basic model then improves its capabilities subsequently. On 25 January 2008, Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced an agreement to embark on a joint effort to develop a new US Air Force strategic bomber, with plans for it to be in service by 2018. This collaborative effort for a long-range strike program will include work in advanced sensors and future electronic warfare solutions, including advancements in network-enabled battle management , command and control , and virtual warfare simulation and experimentation. Under their joint arrangement, Boeing,

648-568: The time. Some of these bombers, such as the Heinkel He 111 , Junkers Ju 86 , Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 , Douglas B-18 , and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley were developed from or in conjunction with existing airliners or transport aircraft. The World War II-era medium bomber was generally considered to be any level bomber design that delivered about 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) of ordnance over ranges of about 1,500 to 2,000 mi (2,400 to 3,200 km). Typical heavy bombers were those with

675-469: Was expected to announce late in 2009 its precise requirements for a new bomber that would be operating by 2018. In May 2009, testimony before Congress, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates mentioned that the Pentagon was considering a pilotless aircraft for the next-generation bomber role. In April 2009, Defense Secretary Gates announced a delay in the new generation bomber project that would push it past

702-588: Was purely semantic and bureaucratic, however as both the B-47 and B-52 strategic bombers were much larger and had far greater performance and load-carrying ability than any of the World War II-era heavy or medium bombers. Similarly, the Royal Air Force referred at times to its V bomber force as medium bombers, but this was in terms of range rather than load-carrying capacity. Although the term

729-617: Was used prior to and during World War II , based on available parameters of engine and aeronautical technology for bomber aircraft designs at that time. After the war, medium bombers were replaced in world air forces by more advanced and capable aircraft. In the early 1930s many air forces were looking to modernize their existing bomber aircraft fleets, which frequently consisted of older biplanes . The new designs were typically twin-engined monoplanes , often of all-metal construction, and optimized for high enough performance and speed to help evade rapidly evolving fighter aircraft designs of

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