US Air Force to Award $410Mln in Contracts in 2022 to Prepare Base for B-21 Bomber

© Northrop GrummanThis is an artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Dyess AFB is one of the bases expected to host the new airframe. (Courtesy graphic by Northrop Grumman)
This is an artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Dyess AFB is one of the bases expected to host the new airframe. (Courtesy graphic by Northrop Grumman) - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.11.2021
Subscribe
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Upgrades at Ellsworth Air Force Base needed to host the future US B-21 bomber, will proceed with the award of contracts worth more than $400 million during the next 12 months, the Air Force said on Wednesday.
"We are actively working with mission commanders on a wide scope of beddown requirements for the new weapons system, and we anticipate awarding projects worth up to $410 million at Ellsworth (AFB) in the next year," Air Force Program Manager Naomi Gabriel said in a press release.
Overall, the Air Force is projecting a $1 billion investment at Ellsworth AFB to meet warfighter demands for B-21 bomber, the release said.
In June, the Air Force chose Ellsworth in the state of South Dakota as the first operating base for the B-21, also known as the Raider.
The initial prototypes of the B-21 are expected to arrive at Ellsworth in the mid-2020s, with the US planning to incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit to perform both conventional and nuclear missions alongside the B-52 Stratofortress, the release said.
The prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, describes the next-generation B-21 stealth bomber as a weapon system capable of penetrating enemy air defenses and reaching targets anywhere in the world - something that 90% of the present US bomber fleet is incapable of doing.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала