The hidden battle to build the Air Force's new stealth bomber - Philip Ewing and Leigh Munsil - POLITICO: The campaign by defense giant Northrop Grumman, specifically targeted at the Washington market, is the most visible evidence of the behind-the-scenes battle to build the Air Force’s new stealth bomber, a deal with an estimated value of at least $55 billion.
Defense officials are expected to choose a winner for the highly classified Long Range Strike Bomber as soon as this summer. And the face-off between Northrop and a powerhouse team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin is shaping up to be a political slugfest like few others at a time when the Pentagon is buying fewer major new weapons.
The companies’ representatives have trekked to scores of congressional offices in recent months to talk up the program, according to industry officials — especially from Northrop and Lockheed. A small army of retired generals, lobbyists and consultants are also pressing the case.
