New Manned Bomber

Aviation Now has a vague glimpse into what a new manned bomber, called for in the Pentagon's QDR, might look like:

a manned bomber with the range for 4-5 hr. of loiter, but with a heavier payload, Mach 2 speed and very low observability so it can penetrate deep and strike heavily defended targets. They also believe it must be nuclear-capable to replace the B-2, and that means a crew. They want each bomber to be capable of hitting 100 individual targets. Hypersonics and space launch are not players."

I still like the idea of a conventional ballistic missile. The ICBM has actually been replacing the manned bomber since the 1960's, only the USAF doesn't realize this.

Tip to Defense Tech.