$550 Million Dollars For a New Bomber?

Exclusive: Pentagon arms chief, industry in talks on bomber
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON | Tue May 17, 2011 8:35pm EDT

(Reuters) - Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter traveled to California last week to meet with Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) Chief Executive Wes Bush and other industry executives about a new long-range bomber, according to three sources familiar with the meetings.

The Defense Department is working on a new long-range "penetrating" bomber, which will be designed to fly with or without a pilot on board, carry nuclear weapons, and cost about $550 million per plane on average, according to a new 30-year Pentagon plan for aviation procurement.

The plan calls for the Air Force to field 80 to 100 of the new bombers to replace the current fleet of bombers, which include 66 B-1 bombers, 20 B-2 bombers and 85 B-52 bombers.

That means the overall program will cost $40 billion to $50 billion over the next decades -- a huge opportunity for big weapons makers like Northrop, Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N), which are bracing for declining defense spending in other areas.

The Pentagon's plan calls for upgrades to the B-2 bomber built by Northrop in the 1990s, to enhance its effectiveness and survivability, and divestment of 6 Boeing Co B-1 bombers built in the 1980s to pay for upgrades to the remaining fleet.



unhappycamper comment: Seriously, when has the price tag of anything the military has bought in the last ten years gone down from the previous high water mark? Our cost for a delivered B-2 bomber? $2.1 billion dollars.

i noticed the B52 will be retired in 2040......

US quietly expanding defense ties with Saudis
(AP) – 2 days ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite their deepening political divide, the United States and Saudi Arabia are quietly expanding defense ties on a vast scale, led by a little-known project to develop an elite force to protect the kingdom's oil riches and future nuclear sites.

The U.S. also is in discussions with Saudi Arabia to create an air and missile defense system with far greater capability against the regional rival the Saudis fear most, Iran. And it is with Iran mainly in mind that the Saudis are pressing ahead with a historic $60 billion arms deal that will provide dozens of new U.S.-built F-15 combat aircraft likely to ensure Saudi air superiority over Iran for years.


The special security force is expected to grow to at least 35,000 members, trained and equipped by U.S. personnel as part of a multiagency effort that includes staff from the Justice Department, Energy Department and Pentagon. It is overseen by the U.S. Central Command.

The force's main mission is to protect vital oil infrastructure, but its scope is wider. A formerly secret State Department cable released by the WikiLeaks website described the mission as protecting "Saudi energy production facilities, desalination plants and future civil nuclear reactors."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hI84j38Kn1p436iTBMuVzmRRv7zQ?docId=f88f3f427d9349e2aaa18a7aa2ec271a

them fight their religious wars with Iran.

Insane.

it sure does prop up a despotic religious dictatorship
after the Arab Spring.

We get most of our oil from other countries BTW

For frackin' robot bombers?

drop bombs in the desert certainly can give one an adrenaline rush, probably macho-macho testosterone one too. :patriot: