It would be difficult to justify anything like the B-52 or B-1 for a penetration bomber. I’m all for a B-52 type of airframe rewashed into version 2.0 with four engines, but solely for low-intensity conflict multirole. Combine tasks like bomb trucking, refeuling, and sigint. A unitarian project that all domestic builders can build, not some propriety design; something akin to how the 707 was used.
In fact, the winner of the airframe design should be barred from the ability to assert intellectual property control over the project. And using their own propriety in the design means they cannot assert said rights if a competitor wins the bid to do the construction now or into the future of the program. It will cost a little more to do it like that, but it keeps the project under competitive bidding throughout the projects life span. And it creates a common airframe for many roles.
I would want the B-2 put back into production – using modern technology where possible – for penetrate role.
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