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Fiscal Receipts

Long Range Strike - Bomber

Air ForceRDT&EPartial Reconciliation0604015F

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What it is
Long Range Strike - Bomber (program element 0604015F) is a U.S. Air Force development program funded in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force account. The program funds the B-21 Raider, a dual-capable penetrating-strike stealth bomber designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear munitions and to operate in tomorrow's high-end threat environment.
What changed
+$2.09B FY25→26 R-1 TOA · PB2026
Who gets it
No award linkage at high confidence.

Budget Figures

FY24 Actuals
$2.88BR-1 TOA · PB2026
FY25 Total
$2.65BR-1 TOA · PB2026
FY26 Request
$4.74BR-1 TOA · PB2026
50.5% reconciliation

$2.35B discretionary + $2.39B one-time reconciliation. Discretionary change vs FY2025 enacted: -11.6%.

FY25→26 Change
+$2.09BR-1 TOA · PB2026

Two official figures, one label— reconciled below

Fiscal Receipts uses P-1/R-1 workbook total obligation authority (TOA) as the headline figure sitewide. The workbook TOA includes budget rows (such as advance procurement) that the R-2/P-40 J-book program line excludes. How the two bases relate →

FY26 Request · $4.74B TOA − $2.35B J-book line = 2.39B (4,739.12,347.2 = 2,391.9)

Figures in the sentence are rounded for reading; the parenthesised arithmetic is the same subtraction in USD millions, at the precision where it closes.

FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →

Budget Trajectory
The program's 3 summary figures for FY24 to FY26, plotted in fiscal-year order so the direction of travel is readable at a glance: this line ends higher than it starts. The points are the summary cards above, not a separate derivation; the table beside the chart carries each figure with its own citation.
The program's 3 summary figures for FY24 to FY26, plotted in fiscal-year order so the direction of travel is readable at a glance: this line ends higher than it starts. The points are the summary cards above, not a separate derivation; the table beside the chart carries each figure with its own citation.FY24: $2.88BFY25: $2.65BFY26: $4.74BFY24FY25FY26
Budget trajectory: one row per fiscal year, carrying the summary figure the sparkline plots. Every figure opens its own citation.
Fiscal yearAmount
FY24$2.88B
FY25$2.65B
FY26$4.74B

All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026

Decade view — P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
12 fiscal years of this program as published (FY2015–FY2026): a line through the actuals (filled dots), with the enacted (hollow circles) and request (diamonds) markers each edition reported. Read it for direction, not for precision — this program's actuals line rises across the span. The grid below is the same data as text, one cited figure per cell.
12 fiscal years of this program as published (FY2015–FY2026): a line through the actuals (filled dots), with the enacted (hollow circles) and request (diamonds) markers each edition reported. Read it for direction, not for precision — this program's actuals line rises across the span. The grid below is the same data as text, one cited figure per cell.FY2015 actuals — PB2017 editionFY2016 actuals — PB2018 editionFY2017 actuals — PB2019 editionFY2018 actuals — PB2020 editionFY2019 actuals — PB2021 editionFY2020 actuals — PB2022 editionFY2021 actuals — PB2023 editionFY2022 actuals — PB2024 editionFY2023 actuals — PB2025 editionFY2024 actuals — PB2026 editionFY2016 enacted — PB2017 editionFY2017 enacted — PB2018 editionFY2018 enacted — PB2019 editionFY2019 enacted — PB2020 editionFY2020 enacted — PB2021 editionFY2021 enacted — PB2022 editionFY2022 enacted — PB2023 editionFY2023 enacted — PB2024 editionFY2024 enacted — PB2025 editionFY2025 enacted — PB2026 editionFY2017 request — PB2017 editionFY2018 request — PB2018 editionFY2019 request — PB2019 editionFY2020 request — PB2020 editionFY2021 request — PB2021 editionFY2022 request — PB2022 editionFY2023 request — PB2023 editionFY2024 request — PB2024 editionFY2025 request — PB2025 editionFY2026 request — PB2026 editionFY15FY18FY20FY22FY24FY26

The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.

● actuals (line)  ·  ○ enacted  ·  ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.

Decade series values by fiscal year and President's Budget edition: one row per series (actuals, enacted, request), one column per fiscal year. Every figure opens its own citation.
SeriesFY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
Actuals$883.4M$710.4M$1.29B$1.91B$2.19B$2.88B$2.74B$2.78B$3.04B$2.88B
Enacted$736.2M$1.36B$2.00B$2.28B$2.98B$2.84B$2.87B$3.14B$2.98B$2.65B
Request$1.36B$2.00B$2.31B$3.00B$2.85B$2.87B$3.25B$2.98B$2.65B$4.74B

blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.

Asked vs spent: the PB2023 book requested $3.25B for FY2023; the PB2025 book reported $3.04B as actual total obligation authority — $216.1M below the request. 3,037.53,253.6 = -216.1 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.

Program Lineage

No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.

Description

Mission Long Range Strike - Bomber

This program is reported in accordance with Title 10, United States Code, Section 119(a)(1) in the Special Access Program Annual Report to Congress. Program overview provided below. The Long Range Strike - Bomber (B-21 Raider) is crucial to the nuclear modernization plan, forming the backbone of the Nation's future bomber force, providing both conventional and nuclear capability. The B-21 platform provides range, access, and payload to go anywhere needed, with the weapons required to deter and win our nation's wars. Its open system architecture will enable rapid integration of future capabilities, keeping the platform relevant and effective as the threat environment evolves. The Air Force requires a minimum of 100 B-21s as part of the long-term bomber force. The Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract was awarded in 2015, followed by a Critical Design Review (CDR) completed in 2018. Test aircraft are executing the B-21 flight test campaign and an approved Milestone C decision with all statutory and regulatory documentation was completed in 2023. Subsequently, the first two production lots have been awarded. B-21 aircraft will be delivered to operational bases in the mid-2020s. The FY2026 request for the Long Range Strike - Bomber (B-21 Raider) includes 2,347.225 million of discretionary and 2,391.920 million of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of 4,739.145 million. The mandatory funds expansion of capacity of B-21. Further information for this reconciliation request is provided in Section 20008 (Nuclear) of the Reconciliation Exhibit. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.

Mission B-21 Development

This program is reported in accordance with Title 10, United States Code, Section 119(a)(1) in the Special Access Program Annual Report to Congress. Program overview provided below. The Long Range Strike - Bomber (B-21 Raider) is crucial to the nuclear modernization plan, forming the backbone of the Nation's future bomber force, providing both conventional and nuclear capability. The B-21 platform provides range, access, and payload to go anywhere needed, with the weapons required to deter and win our nation's wars. Its open system architecture will enable rapid integration of future capabilities, keeping the platform relevant and effective as the threat environment evolves. The Air Force requires a minimum of 100 B-21s as part of the long-term bomber force. The Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract was awarded in 2015, followed by a Critical Design Review (CDR) completed in 2018. Test aircraft are executing the B-21 flight test campaign and an approved Milestone C decision with all statutory and regulatory documentation was completed in 2023. Subsequently, the first two production lots have been awarded. B-21 aircraft will be delivered to operational bases in the mid-2020s. The FY2026 request for the B-21 Development BPAC includes $1,589.908M of discretionary and $2,391.920M of mandatory/reconciliation ($1,721.920 enhancement & $670M transfer from discretionary) for a total of $3,981.828M. The enhancement funds expansion of capacity of B-21. Further information for this reconciliation request is provided in Section 20008 of the Reconciliation Exhibit. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability.

Mission B-21 Modernization

This program is reported in accordance with Title 10, United States Code, Section 119(a)(1) in the Special Access Program Annual Report to Congress. Program overview provided below. The Long Range Strike - Bomber (B-21 Raider) is crucial to the nuclear modernization plan, forming the backbone of the Nation's future bomber force, providing both conventional and nuclear capability. The B-21 platform provides range, access, and payload to go anywhere needed, with the weapons required to deter and win our nation's wars. Its open system architecture will enable rapid integration of future capabilities, keeping the platform relevant and effective as the threat environment evolves. The Air Force requires a minimum of 100 B-21s as part of the long-term bomber force. The Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract was awarded in 2015, followed by a Critical Design Review (CDR) completed in 2018. Test aircraft are executing the B-21 flight test campaign and an approved Milestone C decision with all statutory and regulatory documentation was completed in 2023. Subsequently, the first two production lots have been awarded. Modernization BPAC for tracking separately from EMD funding line created 2024. B-21 aircraft will be delivered to operational bases in the mid-2020s. The FY2026 request for the B-21 Modernization BPAC includes $757M of discretionary and $0M of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of $757M. The mandatory funds expansion of capacity of B-21. Further information for this reconciliation request is provided in Section 20008 of the Reconciliation Exhibit.

Justification

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (2)

Long Range Strike Bomber (B-21) Development

The B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable penetrating strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. Designed to operate in tomorrow's high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America's enduring airpower capability.

Long Range Strike Bomber (B-21) Modernization

B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable penetrating strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. Designed to operate in tomorrow's high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America's enduring airpower capability.

Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)

P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.

Exhibit R-1

AccountOrgTypeAmount
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY24 Actuals$2.88B
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY25 Enacted$2.65B
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY25 Total$2.65B
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY26 Disc. Request$2.35B
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY26 Reconciliation$2.39B
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air ForceFFY26 Total$4.74B

Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)

J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget Figures shows both.

Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.

ProjectAll Prior YearsFY24 ActualsFY25 TotalFY26 BaseFY26 Request
Program Element$0$2.88B$2.65B$2.35B$2.35B
643308: B-21 Development$0$2.64B$2.27B$1.59B$1.59B
644044: B-21 Modernization$0$241.2M$387.7M$757.3M$757.3M

No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1,741 programs). why coverage is partial? →

Awards

No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.

Lobbying Mentions

No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.

Oversight

Department-level designation (not specific to this program)

GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Long Range Strike - Bomber — no program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.

Program dossier

Every sentence below carries its citation — warehouse figures open the citation panel, news claims link the cached source.

Research dossiers exist for 50 of 1,741 programs — the 50 largest fully J-book-detailed programs by FY2026 request. why no dossier here? →

What it is

  • Long Range Strike - Bomber (program element 0604015F) is a U.S. Air Force development program funded in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force account.
  • The program funds the B-21 Raider, a dual-capable penetrating-strike stealth bomber designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear munitions and to operate in tomorrow's high-end threat environment.
  • The B-21 is described as crucial to the nuclear-modernization plan and the backbone of the nation's future bomber force, with an open system architecture intended to enable rapid integration of future capabilities as threats evolve; the Air Force requires a minimum of 100 B-21s as part of the long-term bomber force.
  • The Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract was awarded in 2015, a Critical Design Review was completed in 2018, and an approved Milestone C decision with all statutory and regulatory documentation was completed in 2023, after which the first two production lots were awarded.
  • The effort sits in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes, because the work evaluates integrated technologies, representative modes, or prototype systems in a high-fidelity, realistic operating environment.
  • The program tracks a separate B-21 Modernization budget-program activity, created in 2024 to track modernization funding apart from the EMD funding line, alongside the core development effort.

Why it matters

  • The program's total funding grows from $2,654,073 thousand in FY2025 to $4,739,145 thousand (about $4.74 billion) requested for FY2026.
  • That is a year-over-year increase of $2,085,072 thousand (roughly $2.09 billion) from FY2025 to FY2026.
  • A Fiscal Receipts feed event flagged Long Range Strike - Bomber as increasing 79% from FY2025 to FY2026, one of the larger year-over-year swings in the budget.
  • In FY2024 the program recorded actual spending of $2,877,844 thousand (about $2.88 billion), so the FY2026 request is well above its recent execution level.
  • The FY2026 request splits nearly evenly between funding types: a discretionary request of $2,347,225 thousand (about $2.35 billion) and a reconciliation (mandatory) request of $2,391,920 thousand (about $2.39 billion).
  • The program's budget narrative states that the FY2026 request includes 2,347.225 million of discretionary and 2,391.920 million of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of 4,739.145 million, with the mandatory funds financing an expansion of B-21 capacity and further detail provided in Section 20008 (Nuclear) of the Reconciliation Exhibit.
  • Within the request, the B-21 Development budget-program activity accounts for $1,589.908 million of discretionary and $2,391.920 million of mandatory/reconciliation funds — comprising a $1,721.920 million enhancement and a $670 million transfer from discretionary — for a total of $3,981.828 million.
  • The separately tracked B-21 Modernization budget-program activity accounts for $757 million of discretionary funding and no mandatory (reconciliation) funding in FY2026.

Key players

  • The program is run by the U.S. Air Force, with funding drawn from the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force appropriation.
  • The program is reported to Congress under Title 10, United States Code, Section 119(a)(1) in the Special Access Program Annual Report, reflecting its classified special-access status.
  • Test aircraft are executing the B-21 flight-test campaign, and the program's mission narrative states that B-21 aircraft will be delivered to operational bases in the mid-2020s.