Posted on 11/13/2017 9:39:50 AM PST by BenLurkin
Northrop won the bomber contract in 2015... activity is ramping up sharply under an Air Force budget that has reached $2 billion for this fiscal year.
...
The project marks a sharp turnaround in the fortunes of the Southern California aerospace industry, which has been atrophying since the end of the Cold War. It was widely assumed that the region would never again be home to a large aircraft manufacturing program and now it has one of the largest in modern history. The program is breathing new life into an industry that once defined the Southern California economy.
...
A crude drawing of the plane released by the Air Force seems to resemble the company’s B-2 bomber, but Donovan and others say the new plane is not a derivative but a “clean sheet” design. It is supposed to carry nuclear weapons, though the Air Force does not plan to certify it for such missions until two years after it first becomes operational, a cost-saving decision that the House Armed Services Committee criticized in a 2013 report.
... When the B-2 was built, some experts claimed it looked no bigger than a hummingbird on a radar screen. The B-21 would have to be even stealthier. The preliminary design of the bomber’s stealth characteristics was “investigated in detail against current and anticipated threats,” according to a Congressional Research Service report released in June.
The plane will be operated either by an onboard crew or autonomously, the report said. Without a crew, the bomber could linger much longer over targets, requiring fewer sorties and holding an enemy hostage much longer. Unlike the B-2, it is planned as part of a “family of systems,” implying that it would fly with other aircraft or weapons systems, though government officials declined to say anything about it.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Must not be too “Top Secret” if we know where the plant is and what is being built inside.
Having nukes on a crew-less plane. What could possibly go wrong?
Not to worry.
SkyNet will be in constant contact with the bomber at all times.
B-52 = 70,000 lbs
B-1B = 75,000 lbs
B-2 = 40,000 lbs
More is better.
Notice they said the B-21 wouldn’t be nuclear-certified right out of the box? I sense so misdirection going on here. This is a strategic high-altitude drone program, perhaps being piggy-backed on a manned strategic bomber to follow.
Also, ground crew can be relieved mid-flight.
Re: Must not be too “Top Secret” if we know where the plant is and what is being built inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmTxWuvj__8
Mark
How long until USB sticks start appearing all over this town?
I think he is referring to the yb49 or xb35
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