{"id":64488,"date":"2023-01-26T17:01:51","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T17:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/01\/26\/northrop-eyes-low-rate-production-contract-for-b-21-this-year\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:49:03","slug":"northrop-eyes-low-rate-production-contract-for-b-21-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2023\/01\/26\/northrop-eyes-low-rate-production-contract-for-b-21-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Northrop eyes low-rate production contract for B-21 this year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Northrop Grumman expects the Air Force to award the first production contract for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2023\/01\/10\/building-a-better-bomber-how-the-stealthy-b-21-subverted-bureaucracy\/\" target=\"_blank\">B-21 Raider<\/a> stealth bombers later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an earnings call with analysts Thursday, Chief Financial Officer Dave Keffer said the expected contract will be for the first of five low-rate initial production lots. The LRIP phase is scheduled to run through roughly the end of the decade, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Keffer said Northrop Grumman and the Air Force are wary of macroeconomic risks \u2014 particularly inflation, labor problems and lingering supply chain issues \u2014 and are looking for ways to make the program more efficient and manage those concerns as it moves out of the engineering and manufacturing development phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northrop Grumman chief executive Kathy Warden said Wednesday the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2022\/12\/03\/deterrence-the-american-way-the-new-b-21-bomber-debuts\/\" target=\"_blank\">B-21 is still on track<\/a> for its first flight later this year, following its \u201chistoric\u201d rollout in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warden said \u201cunprecedented\u201d inflation, supply chain disruptions and labor issues have raised the bomber\u2019s cost estimates on its LRIP phase. But cost projections are still coming in below the government\u2019s estimates, she said, and the government continues to support buying at least 100 of the advanced stealth bombers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northrop Grumman said in its financial filings it doesn\u2019t see a financial loss on any of these LRIP options as \u201cprobable\u201d \u2014 but couldn\u2019t rule out a loss of up to $1.2 billion on one or more lots as \u201creasonably possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warden said a potential loss would spread out over all five lots, which would help Northrop absorb the blow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInflation clearly is the primary driver there, as we think about what\u2019s changed recently in our estimates, and we are working to mitigate those impacts,\u201d Warden said. \u201cWe have some time as we move forward and get into production to continue to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said the government is talking with defense firms like Northrop about ways to encourage them to invest in future capabilities, while helping industry weather the risks that come with inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That could lead to less reliance on fixed-price development contracts in the future, she said. The defense industry is now \u201cpushing back\u201d on long-term fixed-price contracts, she said, and asking for the government to reconsider some contracts to take inflation into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many government customers \u201cnow understand that shifting too much risk to industry doesn\u2019t support that investment, nor does it deliver the capability they need in a timely fashion,\u201d Warden said. \u201cI expect we\u2019re going to see less fixed-price development going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Suppliers to Northrop Grumman are also asking the company to take into account how inflation has increased their costs, Warden said. Northrop in turn passes those costs on to the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReally that\u2019s just common sense,\u201d Warden said. \u201cI believe that will become the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northrop is wary of inflation and said more companies are pushing back on fixed-price 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