Maj Gen Harencak said the new bomber is crucial to maintaining the US strategic deterrent. The general, who is a former bomber pilot, added that "the ability to go anywhere in the world, anytime, and to get through enemy defences and be able to provide a lot of ordnance on a consistent basis has never disappeared, and never will."
He noted that much about the LRS-B programme is classified, which has invited criticism from many quarters. "To our critics out there: why don't you wait until you actually know something about it before you criticise it?"
"There are publications out there that are already saying: 'You don't need this. It's too expensive. It's not going to work.' We don't even know what it is yet, per se," he said.
Some critics have said simpler, unmanned aircraft and stand-off missiles could accomplish the same mission as the one envisioned for the new bomber, but at a fraction of the cost.
"No one has ever been right about the next war we're going to fight. Those who say: 'Don't worry. You won't need this,' have been wrong before. … They are wrong today. And they will be wrong in the future," the general said. "Stand-off is absolutely important, but it has never in history been enough."