By Prensa Latina,
Washington : The Pentagon devoted $10 billion to support a plan to build up a new bomber that could fly 3,728 miles and carry 10 tons of bombs, military media confirmed on Tuesday.
The sophisticated fighter plane is expected to replace the old B-1B and B-52 models and begin operations by 2018. The first air tests will be performed in three years, the Military.com web site said.
The US Air Force ordered at least 100 of these supersonic aircrafts, but equipped with the necessary technology to launch guided nuclear missiles, which are hard to track with conventional radars.
As it is usual, the consortiums Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Nothrop Grumman are the main designer groups in the new US government’s military program.
The military budget approved by President George W. Bush for 2009 ranges between $515 billion and $713 billion.