The US will drastically reduce funding for the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit strategic bombers, focusing on the B-21 Raider and B-52J Stratofortress

US Air Force budget documents Demonstrate a reduction in spending on the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit strategic bombers by the end of the 2020s. The service is making its priority the next-generation B-21 Raider nuclear bomber and the B-52H Stratofortress, which will be designated the B-52J after an upgrade.

Here's What We Know

Global Strike Command has said for years that it intends to devote its limited human and financial resources to the B-21 Raider and B-52 Stratofortress. The service also hopes to decommission the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit, which in recent years have not been able to boast of high mission effectiveness.

The Spirit fleet consists of 20 aircraft, but Global Strike Command can only use 14 bombers. The rest are in testing or undergoing maintenance. In addition, stealth systems remain complex and require a large number of man-hours to provide maintenance. The B-21 Raider is expected to be much more efficient in this regard.

The B-1 supersonic bomber fleet has recently been reduced to 45 units. Despite this, the US Air Force decided to retain funding and expertise to improve the capability of the strategic aircraft.

The service has requested $284.9 million from the US Congress for fiscal years 2024-2028 (FY) for purchases related to the B-2 Spirit. Funding will start at $107.9 million in FY2024 and almost halve (to $57.16 million) in FY2025. By FY2028, it will drop sharply to $15.78 million.

Funding for research, development, test and evaluation for the B-2 Spirit shows an even steeper drop, starting at $87.6 million FY2024 and ending at a few thousand dollars in FY2028. Most of the funds will go towards upgrading avionics.

In terms of procurement funding related to the B-1 Lancer, the US Air Force is requesting $12.8 million in FY2024, $3.31 million in FY2025, $4.74 million in FY2026 and about $1 million in FY2027-2028. The service wants $32.68 million for R&D in FY2024-2025, and a few thousand dollars in FY2027-2028.

The B-1 will also be equipped to carry the new weapon systems. The US Air Force abandoned Lockheed Martin's Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) programme because of failed tests. This is therefore the hypersonic missile that Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are working on as part of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) programme.

Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine