Boeing, Lockheed to build bomber

Boeing and Lockheed Martin are announcing Friday they will team up to compete for the chance to build the Air Force’s next long-range bomber.

Boeing and Lockheed will join together to perform studies as well as research and development in pursuit of the Air Force’s anticipated next generation bomber program. The team will probably face Northrop Grumman in the race to build the new plane.

{mosads}Boeing has built the B-17, B-52, while Northrop Grumman produces the B-2 bombers. Boeing also does some systems integration work on the B-2.

The Air Force would like to have its new long-range bomber in service by 2018 to complement the existing fleet of B-52s and B-2s. 

The Air Force has canceled an earlier unmanned bomber effort, known as the Joint Unmanned Combat Aircraft System (JUCAS). The new endeavor is expected to be larger and faster than JUCAS. The new bomber would also be designed to cover very long distances.

The competition comes at a critical time for aerospace companies. The Air Force and Congress are already likely to battle this year over funding for a variety of high-cost programs, such as the F-22 Raptor, the Joint Strike Fighter and a new mid-air refueling tanker.