Why Boeing’s appeal of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider bomber contract was rejected by the U.S. Government Accountability Office

The new stealth bomber for the US Air Force developed by Northrop Grumman has “substantial structural benefits” over competing designs by Boeing and Lockheed Martin

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the United States demonstrated why Boeing’s objection against Northrop Grumman’s award of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber contract was fundamentally incorrect.

After Northrop Grumman was awarded the LRS-B (Long Range Strike-Bomber) contract on Oct. 27, 2015, Boeing (which teamed up with Lockheed Martin to win the bid) went to the GAO, claiming that Northrop Grumman “low-balled” its bid and that the United States Air Force (USAF) failed to consider the risks posed when it chose Northrop Grumman over the joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

According to a heavily redacted 52-page ruling released by the Air Force on Oct. 25, 2016, the agency rejected Boeing’s allegations, stating that Northrop Grumman’s “significantly lower proposed prices” for initial production “created a near-insurmountable obstacle” to Boeing “demonstrating prejudice” in the Air Force’s calculation of realistic costs.

Northrop Grumman’s design for the next US Air Force stealth bomber also had “substantial structural advantages” over competing plans from Boeing and Lockheed Martin, according to the GAO.

Because of these factors, the agency dismissed Boeing’s contention that “the Air Force failed to appropriately account for Northrop’s technical risk” in its cost estimate. On the contrary, the US Air Force “conducted a realistic” cost review “that appropriately incorporated consideration of each” company’s “unique approach,” according to the report.

As a result, GAO General Counsel Susan Poling concluded that “Boeing’s allegations and the evaluation record, in this case, provides no basis on which to sustain the protest.”

The B-21 Raider was critical in helping the US Air Force to operate in a high-end threat environment, as well as giving the service the flexibility and capability to launch from anywhere in the continental US and conduct airstrikes anywhere in the world.

The first prototype of the B-21 is Northrop Grumman’s first piloted aircraft since the company’s B-2 bomber, which was constructed in the 1980s. The Raider joins the tiny fleet of B-2 Spirits and replaces the B-1B Lancer and B-52H Stratofortress bomber aircraft.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

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