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 The high combat
effectiveness demonstrated by precision guided weapons brought the
US Air Force to reconsider the employment and mission priorities for
its bomber force. The US Air Force uses three types of bombers –
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit,
Rockwell B-1 Lancer and
Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. All three were designed during the cold war era to
penetrate enemy airspace for strategic nuclear attack. They were
equipped with the best systems available at the time to enable
autonomous target acquisition and weapon delivery. The military
transformation of the 21st century made these bombers obsolete in
their original form, but when transforming to "net
centric" assets, they become an instrumental element of
Battlefield Air Operations, with unmatched weapons carrying
capacity, mission endurance, global reach and rapid response
capabilities.
Future bombers
could be an evolution of current platforms, including a
modification of the F/A-22 stealth fighter. A future derivative
called the F/B-22 is currently considered by the air force, as it
will be able to carry about 30 small diameter bombs (SDB). With a
range of about 1,600 miles, and stealth capability that enables
persistence behind enemy lines, penetration of sophisticated air
defenses and supercruise, self protection and maneuverability, to
expand the USAF long range strike capabilities. Similar
capabilities will be also provided by the new generation of Joint
Unmanned Combat Air Systems (JUCAS) under development at Boeing
and Northrop Grumman. Current concepts call for a combination of
manned/unmanned combat teams, in which the F/B-22 could become the
manned element. Apart from manned and unmanned aircraft, the USAF is also
considering to develop conventional armed, intercontinental
ballistic rockets with precision attack capability, designed to
strike anywhere in the world, in minutes or hours rather than days
or weeks. For the future the USAF is looking at several
alternatives for a next generation bomber. The exact concept is
not yet determined. Some possibilities are a manned bomber, an
unmanned vehicle, will it be an airplane or whether it will go
through or from space. |
