New USAF Bomber Already Under Development, Says CRS
A Request for Proposals from industry to develop a new Air Force Long Range Strike Bomber is said to be imminent. But in fact, the aircraft may already be under development, the Congressional Research Service said last week.
The projected funding stream for the proposed new aircraft “resembles a production program more than a typical development profile,” CRS said. “This may indicate that significant LRS-B [Long Range Strike Bomber] development has already been completed, presumably in classified budgets.”
“Such prior development would also help explain how the Air Force intends to get the system from a Request for Proposals to initial operational capability in about 10 years, when equally or less-complicated systems like the F-22 and F-35 have taken more than 20.”
Any pre-proposal development that may have occurred could also complicate the bidding process, CRS said.
“If there has in fact been considerable prior development, the Air Force will be challenged to construct a truly competitive RFP [because] whichever competitor may have done the bulk of any such preliminary LRS-B development is likely to have an advantage in the production contract.”
See CRS Insights: Budget Highlight: Air Force Long Range Strike Bomber, July 2, 2014.
Other noteworthy new CRS products that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following.
Physical Security of the U.S. Power Grid: High-Voltage Transformer Substations, June 17, 2014
Aliens’ Right to Counsel in Removal Proceedings: In Brief, June 20, 2014
Unaccompanied Alien Children: Potential Factors Contributing to Recent Immigration, July 3, 2014
Unaccompanied Alien Children–Legal Issues: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, June 27, 2014
The Peace Corps: Current Issues, July 2, 2014
U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics, June 27, 2014
Export-Import Bank: Overview and Reauthorization Issues, June 30, 2014
U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During the Obama Presidency: Midyear Analysis and Comparison with Recent Presidents, June 30, 2014
The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview, July 1, 2014
U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications, July 1, 2014
U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians, July 3, 2014
Many of the projects that would deliver the energy to meet rising demand are in the interconnection queue, waiting to be built. AI can improve both the speed and the cost of connecting new projects to the grid.
Nearly one year after the Pentagon certified the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program to continue after it incurred critical cost and schedule overruns, the new nuclear missile could once again be in trouble.
The decline of the coal industry in the late 20th century led to the dismantling of the economic engine of American coal communities. The AI boom of the 21st century can reinvigorate these areas if harnessed appropriately.
The good news is that even when the mercury climbs, heat illness, injury, and death are preventable. The bad news is that over the past five months, the Trump administration has dismantled essential preventative capabilities.