{"id":54755,"date":"2018-01-18T17:58:42","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T17:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/18\/long-term-continuing-resolution-could-upend-b-21-fielding-plan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:02:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:02:15","slug":"long-term-continuing-resolution-could-upend-b-21-fielding-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2018\/01\/18\/long-term-continuing-resolution-could-upend-b-21-fielding-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Air Force may not get B-21 bombers on time under long-term continuing resolution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Air Force\u2019s B-21 Raider program could stagnate under a year-long continuing resolution, as the lower funding stream would slow development and possibly even delivery of the new bomber, the service\u2019s number-two civilian warned Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress is rushing to avoid a government shutdown, which will occur unless lawmakers pass a short-term funding stopgap by Friday. But the Air Force is getting increasingly worried that even the best case scenario \u2014 another CR \u2014 could curb key modernization efforts like the B-21, its Undersecretary Matt Donovan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA long-term CR will limit execution of the engineering, manufacturing and development phase, the EMD phase, of the B-21,\u201d he said at an Air Force Association event. \u201cWe would be limited to the FY17 funding level, which is far below the FY18 budget request. This will have the effect of postponing delivery of the critical strategic capability to the joint warfighter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force allotted $2 billion in its unclassified FY18 budget request for continued EMD activities, up from $1.3 billion the previous year. While the B-21 program currently remains on track, Donovan stated the program will be negatively affected as early as April if the Defense Department remains entangled in a CR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northrop Grumman won the B-21 contract in 2015 after a protracted battle with a Boeing-Lockheed Martin team. The Air Force currently intends to buy at least 100 B-21s, with the fielding of the first bombers planned for the mid-2020s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked for details on how long initial operational capability could be deferred if budget instability continues, Donovan refused to say much more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re not able to ramp up on our schedule for the acquisition program baseline, of course it\u2019s going to have an impact on the other end. You can\u2019t make up that time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t