- XcalibeR
Really, I don't think there is a need for a new bomber. Cruise Missles and planes like the F-16 and F-18 can do the same job much faster, more accuratly, and are more flexible. Now I'm not saying we should stop using the B-52. By all means, use them as long as they'll stay in one peice. But by the time they go out of service, will there still be a need for heavy bombers?
A few long range heavy bombers are always useful where you don't have the kind of beautifully displayed discreet targets that can be pinpointed by smart weapons. F15's and FA-18's do not have the capabilty to travel great distance with substantial bomb loads, loiter, or hit multiple targets over a wide area. We haven't been confronted by such a targeting scenario lately, but it's always a possibility. Large, dispersed formations or activity under cover (like jungle and heavy wood) do not lend themselves to precision-guided munitions...nor artillery if they are far over the horizon.
To put it in a context within living memory, making stands like at Khe Sanh or several other beleagured installations would not have been possible without them.
I wouldn't advocate building a fleet of a thousand, but 100-200 can be a useful arrow to have in your quiver when the enemy is numerous, far away, and concealed by vegetation or weather.