US Air Force Launches Bomber RFP Likely After Years of Classified Work

• The US Air Force asked for proposals for its new LRS-B strategic bomber, on which it plans to spend [PDF] more than $900M during the coming fiscal year, and more than $3B/year by FY18. A memo from the Congressional Research Office explains that there’s probably been classified funding for it for years. A Lockheed Martin-Boeing team will be competing with Northrop Grumman for the eventual production contract. Northrop said it would use its Palmdale, CA plant if they win.

• The Aerospace Industries Association published its recommendations [PDF] to improve defense procurement. The trade group pushes back against regulatory and audit creep as well as the Pentagon’s mounting requests for data rights, which they say defeat the aim of acquiring more commercial items.

• The US Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations might have a different take on how much procurement oversight is necessary, if their review [PDF] of all that went wrong with the Air Force’s botched Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) is any indication.