WASHINGTON, Muharram 15, 1437, October 28, 2015, SPA -- Northrop Grumman is to build the next-generation Long Range Strike bomber for the U.S. Air Force, beating out a joint bid by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, UPI reported. Announcement of the Air Force award -- with an estimated value of as much as $80 billion over the life of the program -- was made late Tuesday at the Pentagon by Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. Details of the new LRS-B remain sketchy. However, it will be a stealth aircraft, capable of carrying thermonuclear weapons and feature an open architecture for easy addition of new technologies as they arise. It is also expected to have a flying-wing design. --SPA 03:01 LOCAL TIME 00:01 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w