Aussies First to Dump F-35 Program

A contract decision for the Long Range Strike Bomber is expected to be announced in August or September, according to Air Force Secretary Deborah James. This timeline has slipped from previous announcements in May that stated the contract would be awarded by June or July. Northrop Grumman announced in November 2013 that it is intending to compete for the $50 – $80 million program, up against against a Lockheed Martin/Boeing team, which announced their partnership in October 2013 following a prior teaming in 2008 and then a subsequent split in 2010 after then-DefSec Robert Gates put the program on ice. Chairman of the House Committee on Strategic Forces, Congressman Mike Rogers, also said on Wednesday that he wants to see procurement of the LRS-B sped up.