Senate lawmakers on Tuesday challenged Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson on the service’s secrecy on its B-21 program, which the secretary defended during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing.
SASC chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said it was “difficult to understand” why the Air Force is keeping all the B-21’s capabilities classified “under the veil of secrecy.”
The B-21, or the Long-Range Strike Bomber, is a new stealth system being developed with the capability to deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the program; details of a recently completed preliminary design review have not been made public.
“We are very open with the appropriate committees in the Congress about exactly what we’re doing and what we’re spending it on,” Wilson said, appearing before SASC for the first time since her confirmation hearing.
“[T]hat is simply not true,” McCain replied.
The B-21, which will replace an aging bomber fleet and is expected to be fielded by 2025, would receive $2 billion under the Air Force’s fiscal 2018 budget request, up from $1.3 billion the previous year. McCain argued that the public should know more about this $2 billion R&D funding request for the program.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) during the hearing also asked about conflicting reports from the Air Force on the number of B-21s it needs to procure – an amount he said has ranged from 80 to 100 to 165 bombers, based on public statements from service officials.
“It is my understanding that it’s 100 B-21s,” Wilson said, noting that the service plans to buy a total of 165 bombers including some B-1s, B-2s and B-52s. Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, also said during the hearing that “the sweet spot is at least 100 bombers when it comes to the B-21.”
Gen. Robin Rand, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, said last month B-21 development is progressing as expected.
