Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp said they would join hands to bid for the US Air Force long-range bomber program. Air Force officials had said that the project was a top acquisition priority for the US Air Force. According to the two companies, Boeing would serve as the prime contractor while Lockheed would become the primary subcontractor.

Air Force Spokesman Ed Gulick said the Air Force intended to purchase around 100 bombers. The price tag for each bomber was set at USD 550 million.  So far, USD 581 million had already been spent for the Long- Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program of the US, Gulick said.

Gulick added, "The LRS-B is a top modernization priority for the Air Force and critical to our national security. The Air Force looks forward to working with all participating industry partners on this very important program." However, he did not give any comment on the agreement between Boeing and Lockheed to team up for the bid.