Air Force upgrade

In April 1952 a new modern bomber made its first flight. This new bomber entered U.S. Air Force service in 1955 and has remained in service since that time. The aircraft has undergone numerous upgrades, but it is still an airplane built using 1950s technology. The U.S. Air Force and the nation have gotten their money's worth from that technology, but after more than 60 years, it has passed time to replace the B-52 bomber.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has just announced a contract with Northrop Grumman for 100 B-21 bombers to replace both the B-52 and the B-1 bombers. The B-21 is expected to enter service in approximately 10 years. The B-21 will closely resemble the B-2 stealth bomber, and it will have the capacity to accept upgrades as time progresses. The number designation 21 stands for the 21st century.

Sen. John McCain has voiced his opposition to "cost plus" pricing for future B-21 aircraft. This common contracting method has allowed defense contractors to increase pricing as their costs increase without rewriting and approval of the contract to buy. The first five B-21 bombers will be built at a fixed price; cost-plus pricing would begin for subsequent aircraft.

Sen. McCain's attention to pricing in defense contracts may have been stirred by the last aircraft built under cost plus, the F-35 Joint Strike fighter. The F-35 is the most expensive weapons system purchased by the U.S. government and it has been seven years behind schedule and $163 billion over budget. If the U.S. needs to replace its long range heavy bombers, it must be done with oversight to prevent cost overruns.

Perhaps the real question about the B-21 is whether it is really needed. Cruise missiles, laser-guided bombs, unmanned aircraft (drones) and other technological advances have changed the face of warfare. What purpose does the B-21 fill in the modern Air Force? In 1945 the B-29 Enola Gay destroyed the entire city of Hiroshima with one bomb. The bombing missions of World War II employing hundreds of bombers have never been replicated, and technology is constantly defeating the defensive measures of modern aircraft. Perhaps the time has come to decide what capabilities the U.S. Air Force will need to perform future missions.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.