B-21 Bomber Will Be Flying With Drones

Bloomberg: U.S. Bombers’ Future Hints at Flying Missions Along With Drones

(Bloomberg) -- The Air Force can’t afford to keep buying all the piloted bombers and jets it plans, the service secretary says, so he’s considering a hybrid force of drones operating in tandem with aircraft like the new B-21 stealth bomber.

“I’m looking at things that would introduce unmanned platforms” that could be sacrificed in combat, would “complement some of our more expensive high-end platforms” and would “give us the quantity we need at a reasonable cost,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in an interview this week.

Among the conceptual possibilities, Kendall said, is using the B-21 being built by Northrop Grumman Corp. in a quarterback role directing pilotless systems. As the Pentagon’s former undersecretary for acquisition, Kendall has deep experience in the process -- and cost -- of developing new weapons.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Another sign on the high value of drones that the US Air Force is now placing.