The US Air Force is planning to build a new generation bomber.

Since 2009, the US Air Force has cherished the ambition to build a long-range bomber (LRS-B) capable of stealth and carrying thermonuclear weapons to become a leading strategic bomber.

Engine

The size and load of this strategic bomber depends greatly on engine manufacturing technology.

That means that variants of engines used for commercial aircraft will be eliminated because of their large size, despite their high performance.

The F110 engine will help the LRS-B bomber have similarities with the US Air Force’s current B-1 Laner or B-2 Spirit bombers.

Using a variant of the F110 engine has its advantages, but it has another formidable competitor in the larger variant of the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which can produce dry thrust up to

If using the large twin engines of the F135, the future LRS-B will be larger in size than the F-15E Strike Eagle made by Boeing, but smaller than the B-1 and B-2 bombers.

The new bomber will have a `flying wing` design to increase stealth.

Stealth design

A fighter-sized tactical stealth aircraft can defeat high-frequency radar waves such as C, X and Ku simply by physical design, but large strategic bombers such as

When the radar frequency exceeds a certain threshold, it will create a resonance effect, causing the image of the stealth aircraft on the radar screen to change suddenly.

Therefore, to be able to defeat radars using L, UHF and possibly VHF frequencies, the American LRS-B needs to have a `flying wing` design.

Recent US media sources also show that the country’s air force is planning to equip strong electronic suppression capabilities integrated into the frame of the LRS-B.

The US Air Force often claims that stealth aircraft like the F-35 can leisurely fly into enemy territory without fear, but experts at the Air Force Operations Center attach importance to the value.

Combat ability

If the LRS-B is smaller than the B-2, designers will have to choose between range and payload.

The current B-2 Spirit strategic bomber of the US Air Force.

The US Air Force will likely also equip this next generation bomber with an intelligent electronic control system.

The LRS-B will be designed to carry nuclear weapons from the start, although the aircraft will have to undergo lengthy testing for its ability to carry out a nuclear strike mission.

The US Air Force is also considering a plan to build an unmanned version of LRS-B.

Currently the leading weapons design teams of Northrop and Lockheed-Boeing are competing with each other to build prototypes of this future bomber and test them in their tunnels.