Boeing, Lockheed to team up on new U.S. bomber program: sources

Reuters Contributor
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp will team up to bid on the Pentagon’s new long-range bomber, a program that Air Force leaders single out as one of their top acquisition priorities, sources familiar with the plans said Friday.

Boeing, which has played a role on every U.S. bomber program since World War Two, would be the prime contractor on the program, with Lockheed the key subcontractor, said the sources, who are familiar with the companies’ plans but are not authorized to speak publicly.

Northrop Grumman Corp , maker of the B-2 stealth bomber, is also expected to compete to build a next-generation bomber, a program that is expected in the coming years to generate billions of dollars of revenues for the winning bidder.

Boeing is expected to issue a public statement about the news later Friday.

Lockheed and Boeing had teamed up in 2008 to develop a joint bid for the bomber, but parted ways two years later. Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates had put the program on hold in 2009 and asked the Air Force to find a more affordable approach.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Gunna Dickson)