House lawmaker looks to reinforce B-21 transparency directive

A new proposed amendment to the House fiscal year 2020 defense policy bill would require the Air Force to follow through on a past directive to release regular progress reports on the B-21 bomber program.

The amendment, offered by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), would hold the service accountable for delivering key B-21 program information as required by the FY-17 National Defense Authorization Act.

That legislation called for the Air Force to release annual updates on the program’s milestones and performance goals in key areas, including reliability, software maturity, and key flight-test events. The report would also lay out the program’s total cost estimate and offer insight into the specific costs of major subsystems, government testing and any engineering changes.

The reports are required to be submitted within six months of the release of the Defense Department’s budget request.

The first B-21 is expected to achieve initial operational capability in the mid-2020s. The program completed a critical design review last December, and service officials have said the next major milestone is first flight.