The Next Bomber Published Nov. 3, 2015 By Senior Airman Sean D. Smith Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Over the years there have been several attempts to improve and add to America's aging bomber fleet, like the Next Generation Bomber program, which was shuttered in 2009 in favor of the Long Range Strike Bomber, or LRS-B. The new aircraft will be a stealth-capable heavy bomber with the ability to carry nuclear weapons. The LRS-B program was opened to design proposals in 2014, with the Air Force intending to purchase 80-100 aircraft. The primary contenders for the contract are Northrop Grumman and a joint effort between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Though only one team will produce the bombers themselves, the other competitors can still bid to support the new bomber with additional technology and upgrades. To control costs, it will be a fixed-price contract with the cost per-plane at $550 million. The LRS-B is being developed with current technology to make it more easily deliverable by the 2020s. The plane will have the option to be remotely piloted, and will house systems relating to electronic warfare along with its strategic bombing capabilities. Some of the requirements for the Next Generation Bomber program that preceded the LRS-B were a range of more than 5,000 nautical miles and the ability to survive daylight raids in heavily-defended enemy territory, but developing military aircraft is never easy, and it's always expensive. The LRS-B project faces the same funding challenges as the F-35 Lightning II, whose delays and cost-related issues have grown into a major talking point. Funding shortfalls have affected bomber development in the past. Only 21 B-2 Spirit bombers were built when more than a hundred were originally planned, and production of the B-1 Lancer was ultimately more limited than intended. Cost was a factor in the scaling down of both programs. Because the project is still in its competitive phase, only limited details can be released to the public. Though the contract was expected to be awarded this year, it was delayed in September. The resulting bomber is still expected to reach initial operating capability in 2025.