The Wall Street Journal-20080126-Lockheed- Boeing Team Up on Bomber
Return to: The_Wall_Street_Journal-20080126
Lockheed, Boeing Team Up on Bomber
Reuters
Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, two of the largest U.S. defense contractors, said they will team up to compete for the country's next long-range bomber, which the Air Force wants to deploy in 10 years.
The two will be competing against Northrop Grumman Corp, which has said it plans to bid for the new bomber contract -- a deal that defense analysts say could be valued at $10 billion or more.
Northrop built the last U.S. long-range bomber, the B-2, but Boeing has more experience historically with that type of aircraft. Lockheed has focused recently on smaller jet fighters.
The Air Force is expected to pick a winner late next year or 2010. Boeing and Lockheed said they would fund research on the project themselves until the Pentagon allocates funds.
Plans call for the bomber to be subsonic, manned and have a range of about 2,000 miles.
