USAF sets modest goals for new bomber

News is almost 6 months ago but i didnt see this posted in here that i saw.The USAF wants a new bomber by 2018, but says available technology will limit it to subsonic and manned. Is it aiming too low?

After studying options ranging from unmanned aircraft to hypersonic weapons, the US Air Force has decided its next-generation bomber will be subsonic and manned. Given the budget and time­scale pressures it is not a surprising decision, but the USAF still faces financial and technical challenges if it is to field a new long-range strike aircraft by 2018.

The pictures are kinda cool.

www.flightglobal.com...

Wow if i was an American i would be very annoyed at this news.All the billions upon billions that get sunk in to the black budget and all they can up with is a tarted up B2 that was designed in the 80s.What exactly do they do with all that money?Buy 22" rims for their black suvs that they cruise round in?

maybe thats because they do not forsee requiring a manned bomber with any greater spec

the B2 was designed during the height of the cold war - as a penetrator to attack the massively defended soviet block

it [ the b2 ] is way over spec for the missions it is being used for today [ afghanistan ]

missile guidance ,accuracy , reliability and flexibility [ be able to select alternate targets in flight ect ] as computing power increases

maybee the USAF realises that mo manned bomber is going to be able to operate covertly in the face of furure air defences - and eill rely on missiles / drones for penetration strikes against the most heaviliy defended targets

and so - is going this route for that reason

lastly - as the hieracy of the USAF is mostly pilots who have a vested interest in keeping thier elite position - maybee the airforce wants a maned bomber just to keep pilots in work - lol


[edit on 22-5-2008 by ignorant_ape]