U.S. Air Force says lessons learned shaping new bomber program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday said it reined in military requirements and set clear cost targets for a new long-range strike bomber after learning lessons from problems on past weapons programs. Air Force acquisition chief William LaPlante said the Air Force would likely also adopt a "cost-plus" type contract for the development phase of the new bomber, given that it would include more new technologies than mature technologies. Fixed-price contracts were more appropriate when weapons were based on commercial items, and costs were easier to estimate. LaPlante's comments to a subcommittee of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee were among the most detailed to date about the new bomber program, which is classified. The Air Force expects to award a contract valued at $50 billion to $80 billion this summer for development and procurement of 80 to 100 new bombers with each aircraft expected to cost no more than $550 million in 2010 dollars. A Boeing Co-led team that includes Lockheed Martin Corp is competing with Northrop Grumman Corp for the contract. LaPlante said the military, keen to avoid the cost increases seen on past weapons programs, had not made any changes in its requirements for the bomber since the program began in 2010. He said the Air Force's decision to set a clear cost target had helped companies shape realistic design proposals for the new aircraft. Industry executives have said the service is looking for more mature technologies and components to speed up development and deployment, and keep the cost of the new planes from rising sharply. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Grant McCool)