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The problem with heavy bombers (B-Xs) is that they are running out of missions. They are useful in 2 cases, when you need a lot of concentrated firepower or when you operate far from bases. Or combination of both.
Large scale bombing attacks of WW2 bomber offensive are not needed anymore. You don't need to flatten entire factory to take it out, few critical points will do. Or cut it's electrical supply. So when will you need big bombload over small one? when you need to take out big targets, like armored division deployed. Like Iraqis did in 1991. but honestly, who is going to do it today? However big bombload is usefull when you need to take out many targets, something I'll return to later.
Next is use when you operate far from bases, like early OEF. US could deploy planes from MidEast bases and carriers there but in order to do much damage they would have to be supported by large fleets of tankers and distances involved would mean large numbers of combat planes would ahve to be used to guarantee constant presence in A'stan (to offset for planes in transition to and from there). So you send heavy bombers. First they can operate far from base so no need for large tankers. They have long loiter time so no need for large numbers to be in air. And they have large bombloads which is useful when you need to take out several targets in succession. Bs come, drop bombs somewhere, hang around, are called to bomb something else a bit away, hang around do it again etc. If you would use smaller planes (Fs) they would be able to do one, maybe two missions while tanking.
So in other words, large bombers have a role to play but relatively specialised one. So it makes sense to upgrade existing ones rather than develop new ones.
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