The Air Force on Monday announced the contractors who would contribute to building the country’s next bomber.
Northrop Grumman got the contract to build the B-21 long range strike-bomber last year, but the service kept secret which companies would build different components of the plane. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the proper safeguards are finally in place to release the information.
Six contractors will work on the airframe or different mission systems. They are: BAE, GKN Aerospace, Janicki Industries, Orbital ATK, Rockwell Collins and Spirit Aerosystems.
Pratt and Whitney, based in Connecticut, will make the engine.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., released a statement following the announcement praising Pratt and Whitney for ensuring Connecticut plays a key role in the country’s nuclear strategic deterrence.
“Today’s announcement reaffirms Connecticut’s unmatched contribution to America’s armed forces,” Murphy said. “There is a bright future in store for our aerospace industry and the highly skilled workforce that supports it.”
The Air Force is planning to buy 100 bombers over the next two decades at a cost of about $550 million each.
Other than those preliminary cost estimates and an artist rendering of the plane, much of the program has been shrouded in secrecy due to classification. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called that “stupid” at a Defense Writers Group breakfast last month, saying that the service should be more transparent.
James said each of the companies is required to have cybersecurity in place to prevent adversaries from gaining knowledge about the B-21 by hacking into their systems. She said she could finally release the names of the contractors because those safeguards are now in place.
McCain has threatened to block the contract for the bomber over objections to its cost-plus structure, which he said historically has led to cost overruns and delays.
During her “State of the Air Force” briefing at the Pentagon on Monday, James said she has made several trips to testify on Capitol Hill recently and would continue to communicate with Congress to make clear what the service is doing to prevent exploding costs or significant delays.
