Long Range Strike Bomber Contract Awarded to Northrop Grumman

[17th Miss Regt]

The Air Force just announced that the Long Range Strike Bomber contract has been awarded to Northrop Grumman.

[17th Miss Regt]

What's with the sheet?

I'm guessing there is something racial here...

[sparklite2]

Terrific post. Thanks.

[mkjessup]

Do cruise missiles and drones, not to mention ICBM’s, make long range bombers obsolete? Are we gearing up to fight the last war?

They were making that same argument in the late 1950's and early 1960's, which is why that dumb ass Robert McNamara cancelled the North American B-70 Valkyrie which would have been the replacement for the B-52, in addition to cancelling the Skybolt air-to-ground missile which would have given the B-52's superior 'stand off' capability.

The alleged 'weakness' of the manned bomber is actually it's greatest strength, in that a bomber CAN be recalled if it's mission is deemed unnecessary due to political or military developments while the bomber is in flight. Once an ICBM is launched, there IS no 'recall' and somewhere a nuke is going to be detonated even if it is suddenly determined that "we don't really want to do that".

Bombers provide flexibility that missiles never will.

[central_va]

Once you have air superiority then these bombers are really handy to have.

[butlerweave]

I’m sure Obama will have Press conference and tell the world everything about the bombers if he has to move out of the White House

[TalonDJ]

They are saying they want to build 80 to 100 with a per plane cost around 500 mil... which seems crazy low.

[TalonDJ]

Tell that to Slim Pickens

[mkjessup]

Or Colonel Grady (Failsafe) ;)

[Vermont Lt]

We used B52s in Afghanistan.

Cruise missiles can be launched from the bombers as well.

[MUDDOG]

until 1943 in the Pacific

Grumman F6F Hellcat. Love that plane.

[pfflier]

The lesson for today...

ICBMs and cruise missiles are one way committments. Once lauched they cannot be recalled nor can they be intentionally destroyed by the sender (despite what you see in the movies).

The manned bomber has the flexibility of going to the brink then

A) Being recalled by command authority or

B) Being intelligently controlled by the onboard crew when targeting flexibility requires decisions, not choices of limited options.

The success of unmanned air vehicles is that they also are intelligently controlled by a crew. The drawback is they are incredibly vulnerable in a tactical situation. They cannot escape, evade or fight back against interception.

[central_va]

You first use the really expensive ordinance, but once you gain air superiority then you start dropping the Mk 82 GPB. Dumb, cheap and devastating.

For that you need bombers with huge payloads.

[oldplayer]

A piece of the plane will end up being built in each Congressman’s district, assembled in three different places, an amphibian version will be built for the Marines and then the shouting about cost over-runs will begin.

Oldplayer

[minnesota_bound]

B-52 bomb strike. Ask the enemy on the ground if they want the bomber to go away.
http://www.afgsc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/110324-F-DW547-005.jpg

Bombs dropping.
http://www.afgsc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/110315-F-QZ836-008.jpg

[drypowder]

yep, and very likely all of the plane’s electronics will be made in China. Sorry for being soooooo damned cynical

[Bryan24]

The B-52 took it’s maiden flight in 1952. It entered service in 1955.

NINETEEN FIFTY-FIVE.

1955.

That is an aircraft design that has been in continuous service for SIXTY years.

The B-70 and the B-1 were both cancelled. Reagan revived the B-1 Program but it was always “out of favor” for some reason. After we figured out we could do stealth, the B-2 was contracted.

The B-2 was first flown in 1989, and went into service in 1997. That is 18 years ago. AND THEY ONLY BUILT 21 OF THEM.

The biggest problem is that there is no aircraft money because the F-35 program has sucked it all up.

[familyop]

"Do cruise missiles and drones, not to mention ICBM’s, make long range bombers obsolete?"

No.

"Are we gearing up to fight the last war?"

According to the political class folks of yesteryear, that was World War 1. Besides, one of the influential billionaires (automatic presidential material, according to the socialist political class) recently said that there wouldn't be any more wars.

[familyop]

And don’t forget to tell the political chattering class that they’re defective, and only 20 of them will be built.

;-D

[familyop]

Russia will post YouTube videos about the new aircraft soon.

[wally_bert]

Always liked it too but loved the F4U Corsair the most from that era.

The P47 would be in the running for second.