Posted on 02/26/2016 9:06:22 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
The US Air Force has revealed its bomber for the 21st century, the Northrop Grumman B-21 long-range strike bomber.
The official designation comes as the air force for the first time releases an artist's rendering of the still-classified bomber — a flying wing design similar to the Northrop B-2 and the company's concept for the previous Next-Generation Bomber (NGB) project.
The air force hasn’t purchased a new bomber in this century and is still dependent on 54-year-old Boeing B-52H and 28-year-old B-1B. Its 21-year-old B-2 Spirit, the only in-service stealth bomber, will be in use through 2060, officials say.
Revealed at the closing of her “state of the air force†address in Orlando, Florida today, USAF secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the official B-21 designation to rapturous applause.
“Our fifth-generation global precision attack platform will give our country a networked sensor-shoot capability that will allow us to hold targets at risk in a way the world and our adversaries have never, ever seen,†says James.
US Air Force
Many bomber experts have been pushing the B-3 tag as a sequential follow-on to the B-1 and B-2. However, Mitchell Institute dean David Deptula believes the new designation reflects that fact that it is the air force’s premier bomber platform for the 21st century.
“It’s not surprising in terms of the shape based on the physics of low observability, but it’s good that we have an artist’s rendering out and the designation is a good one too,†says the former three-star air force officer.
The air force picked Northrop’s design in October and is proceeding with development after the US Government Accountability Office rejected losing team Boeing and Lockheed Martin’s bid protest.
The new stealth bomber will cost $23.5 billion to develop and is worth $564 million per aircraft, according to US government estimates.
USAF wants 100 B-21s, but Deptula believes the true requirement should be 174.
“We need 174 of them,†he tells Flightglobal after the announcement. “We need a minimum of one squadron for 12 air expeditionary forces to establish the rotational base requirement during peace time to be able to shape and maintain peace and stability around the world.
“We need that number to maintain the ability to support our national security strategy to engage in two major regional conflicts if, in fact, it’s necessary to go to war, particularly in the advanced threat environment that has been growing.â€
Northrop’s bomber team was characteristically coy in its response to the unveiling: “Northrop Grumman is proud to serve as the prime contractor for the B-21 Bomber in partnership with the US Air Force, to deliver a capability that is vital to our national security. Any further questions should be directed to the air force.â€
You'll get 2 and like it.
I don’t see engine exhausts or nozzles on the drawing. I doubt that they will be under the fuselage (wing) for stealthy reasons.
They probably have the exhaust coming out of the trailing edge of the wing, like on the F-117.
If there are pilot seats in it, they’re doing it wrong.
2, if they can make all the cost cutting need to get as many F35s as possible, if not, canceled.
I suppose it’ll be using toroidal power like that thing that was on the X-Files.
Seems almost unreal. At those prices, how long will this system be useful and available in a war that lasts longer than 12 months?
My thoughts exactly...at $500 billion a pop.
US Nuclear Bombers “When you care enough to send the very best”
1. Who says that any modern war between advanced nations would last longer than, say, three weeks? (Not proxy war, not prolonged asymmetrical war - I mean all-out war between nearly-equal opponents.)
2. What is your counter-proposal?
Regards,
So what happened to B-3 through B-20?
-—The new stealth bomber will cost $23.5 billion to develop and is worth $564 million per aircraft, according to US government estimates.-—
Assuming those “estimates” are less than 2 standard deviations away from reality, that is still some serious coin.
Yet people scoff at the money it would probably cost to put the hammer down on the illegal invasion and eradicate all the terror sleeper cells. And yes, the applicable federal and state agencies know exactly where they are.
Cyborgs aren't here yet. When you are comfortable riding in a bus that has no driver, get back to me about pilot-less aircraft.
F*** that,
I love the USAF, but they are on crack if they think they will get 100 B-2. Not even in the cold war was the US going to deploy 100. That would be hugely expensive - stealth maintenance is time consuming and labor intensive.
The North American XB-21, it also never entered service and only a prototype was built.
The minor technical details aside, we need to know if the design team is sufficiently racially diverse, and are there enough transgender pilots identified for the training program?
Slight oversight that will cost quadrillions to address.
Our F-35s will be splashed and augured in the first minutes.
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