AF Acquisition Secretary: LRSB Will Most Likely Be Cost-Plus Contract

The Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRSB) will most likely be funded as a cost-plus contract, the top Air Force acquisition secretary told House lawmakers yesterday. “My belief on the LRSB is…that we are doing a little bit more cutting-edge,” Dr. William LaPlante, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, said during a hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower & Protection Forces.  “It’s not based on a commercial item, and so I think more likely, it’s going to be in the cost-plus regime.” LaPlante noted that the Defense Department usually employs cost-plus contracts when procurement involves newer, more advanced technologies. On the other hand, fixed fee contracts are usually based on more proven commercial items. The Air Force is planning to buy 80 to 100 LRSBs at a unit cost of $550 million.