It is described by the United States Air Force as the modern backbone of America's long-range bomber force, built for low-level, high-speed missions.
It therefore is essential that steps be taken now to preserve an adequate long-range bomber force.
At present the nation's long-range bomber force consists primarily of two aircraft: the B-52 and the B-1.
The long-range bomber force dwindled to a handful of decrepit Cold War aircraft.
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Approximately 45 percent of the future long-range strike force would be unmanned.
Policymakers knew America needed its own force of long-range missiles to deter a Russian attack, but deterrence was a new idea so they also wanted to have the protection provided by real defenses.
Although the number of F-22 fighters was capped at 187, the Air Force would increase its long-range strike capabilities by 50 percent and the penetrating component of long-range strike by a factor of five by 2025.
Having recently reversed himself on the bomber and approved Air Force plans to develop a new long-range strike aircraft, the defense secretary needs to also revisit his decision on F-22.
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So with their aging fleet of barely 160 long-range bombers facing a growing array of operational challenges, Air Force leaders have reluctantly come to the conclusion that they need to buy a new bomber.
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Artillery was gradually replaced by tactical missiles in the defensive role, but the Air Force was too busy building a fleet of long-range bombers and supersonic fighters to be bothered with ground-based air defenses, while Army troops had a clear need for such defenses.
Where does long-range aerial refueling come into the strategic requirements of what is, primarily, a deterrence force?
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