I like the original better, although the new model is way more technologically advanced.
Posted on 06/10/2021 1:47:51 PM PDT by Mariner
The U.S. Air Force's (USAF) bomber program, designed to field a replacement for the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit by the late 2020s, is on track. That's a rarity in the world of military hardware procurement. Still, Congress is calling on the service to accelerate the program; USAF isn't budging.
"Once we get through design and get the first ones delivered, we can adjust production rates and maybe affect them that way, but we have to get through the engineering with solid discipline," Air Force acting acquisition executive Darlene Costello said during a House Armed Services panel on June 8.
One major reason the Air Force doesn't want to speed up the B-21 program is that, while the bombers are almost mechanically complete, the service has not yet solidified the overall design for the larger fleet. The service is concerned that speeding things up could introduce concurrency issues.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Intercontinental stealth, lighter than any in the current fleet (60,000 lb payload, all internal) with the sophisticated sensors and electronics of the F-35. Probably more so.
Able to launch hypersonics and control drones.
While not invisible, you have to get eyes on it to shoot at it with cannon.
B1, B2, ... B21.
What happened to B3 through B20?
Or did they just meld B2 and B1 to get B21? Shouldn’t it be the BB21 to properly do the meld?
Sweet. Looking forward to catching first glimpse of one.
Depends on what it looks like on infrared.
This is a B-2 on infrared. If a VVLA on the ground can find the hole in the air a stealth aircraft looks like (and they can) and it vectors a fighter with look-down-shoot-down IRST (standard issue on many non-US fighters) close enough, this is what they see, and this can be done from further away than you can see it with the naked eye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c6pa_vPE_k
What about surfaced to air guided missles?
The problem is the enemies are behind the wire.
The logic they used was that this will become ‘the US bomber for the 21st century’ hence B-21. :rolleyes:
Then, by the time it is done, they’ll have to rename it the B22.
Strategic stealth isn’t a thing any more (’nobody can see me’) but tactical stealth still is (’good luck getting a missile lock’) and it’s why it’s still worth doing.
Something like this would be localized to vector fighters on, but the current state of the art is not such that radar guided SAMs would be able to get a lock unless some highly unlikely circumstances happen. However, if fighters with IRST and IR missiles show up, it is likely that they can get a lock and fire on it - the question is at what range, and IRST/seekerheads get better and better every year.
What happened to B3 through B20
“What about surfaced to air guided missles? “
They use either HF radar or IR for targeting.
They can get close...then fly away.
I like the original better, although the new model is way more technologically advanced.
Air to air is another matter - and if they’re controlling drones, even on spread spectrum radar, they’re going to be broadcasting/radiating. Which means a modern HARM type will do for it quite nicely.
Sophisticated stealth does not negate the ability to use classic tactics like low approaches and surprise.
Won’t be long and they will get around to the B-34.
B4 was already deployed...
AI limits control signals to milliseconds of instruction.
Was at a local tire place about 20 years ago when a B-2 came banking over us at low altitude. It was beautiful.
B4 was already deployed...
That’s no doubt. The Biden cabal probably have given the chi-coms the plans already.
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