Mon, Feb 06, 2006
But Can The Military Afford It?
While
military strategists and BUFF pilots may passionately argue
otherwise... the truth is that one day, the B-52 Stratofortress
WILL stop flying. When that time comes (it's worth noting is hasn't
yet in over 50 years) the Pentagon wants to be ready... so the
military is making its plans now.
The new bomber would be on the flight line within the next dozen
years, according to the latest Quadrennial Defense Review. The QDR
states the US should develop a new, land-based, long-range bomber
by 2018 -- while, at the same time, updating the current fleet of
B-1, B-2 and, yes, B-52 aircraft.
"The new bomber is one of the biggest initiatives in the QDR
report,” said Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the
Virginia-based Lexington Institute, to the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram.
If the Pentagon goes along with the proposal, it would mean
substantially speeding up the development of a new bomber, which
was supposed to be completed by 2037.
One of the questions faced by planners and designers alike is,
will this new long-range bomber be manned or unmanned? The QDR says
at least 45 percent of the country's future air fleet will be
unmanned.
Don't count on a new bomber just yet, however. President Bush
this week will present his budget proposal... and Treasury
Secretary John Snow says it will be austere. The president has
promised to cut the federal deficit in half by the time he leaves
office -- which means reducing America's current deficit of $337
billion in the red to $189 billion.
Such a plan would likely leave very little room for the
development of a new bomber.
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