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Breaking Silence About the B-3
Strategy Page ^ | 3/13/08 | Jim Dunnigan

Posted on 03/13/2008 5:37:53 PM PDT by Renfield

March 10, 2008: Stung by rumors that they were not serious about developing a new heavy bomber, the U.S. Air Force announced that it was developing such an aircraft, that it would be in service by 2018, and would be able to operate with, or without, a crew. The implication was that the design of the new bomber was already quite advanced, and that it was, like the B-2, being handled as a "black project" (all work done in secrecy, until ready for production.)

The new bomber would be similar to the current B-2 in many ways. That is, it would be stealthy, have a crew of only two, and be capable of staying in the air for over 24 hours at a time. The "B-3" would probably also be capable of super-cruise (travelling long distances at very high speeds), and would definitely have a full array of the latest sensors and communications capabilities. The biggest potential problem is cost. The B-2 bombers were so expensive that only 21 were built. One recently crashed. Adding in the development expenses, each B-2 cost about two billion dollars. If the B-3 costs a lot more, the air force will have a hard time selling it to Congress. This would be the case even if the air force came up with a design that amounted to a "semi-space" ship, that travelled at hypersonic speeds (enabling it to reach any point on the planet in a few hours). Price has definitely become a factor, and that may be why the air force has been reluctant to release any details on the next generation heavy bomber.


TOPICS: Government; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 2018; aerospace; b3; bombers; military; usaf
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1 posted on 03/13/2008 5:37:53 PM PDT by Renfield
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To: Renfield

Bring back some B-52’s back from the Boneyard, that will do the trick.


2 posted on 03/13/2008 5:39:51 PM PDT by Nowhere Man (Is Barak HUSSEIN Obama the Anti-Christ? "Barak Ho-Tep!! Barak Ho-Tep!")
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To: Nowhere Man
Bring back some B-52’s back from the Boneyard, that will do the trick.

and the Radar signiture of a barn door...
3 posted on 03/13/2008 5:43:32 PM PDT by HangnJudge
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To: Renfield
The “B-3” is already been prototyped. It is the mother craft for Aurora. ;-)
4 posted on 03/13/2008 5:46:29 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$ (John McCain - The Manchurian Candidate? http://www.usvetdsp.com/manchuan.htm)
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To: Renfield

“have a crew of only two, “

The B-2 is so computer operated that it has a crew of 2 pilots and a dog.

The pilots job is to feed the dog, and the dogs job is to bite the pilots if they touch anything.

....Bob


5 posted on 03/13/2008 5:47:24 PM PDT by Lokibob (Some people are like slinkys. Useless, but if you throw them down the stairs, you smile.)
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To: Renfield
The B-2 bombers were so expensive that only 21 were built.

Correction:

The B-2 bombers were so expensive that because only 21 were built.

6 posted on 03/13/2008 5:48:07 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: Nowhere Man

Buff pilots say that when the last B-2 is retired in Arizona, it will be a B-52 that brings the pilots back to Mo.

....Bob


7 posted on 03/13/2008 5:49:54 PM PDT by Lokibob (Some people are like slinkys. Useless, but if you throw them down the stairs, you smile.)
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To: HangnJudge
If you really want to let a country know that we're coming...


8 posted on 03/13/2008 5:50:42 PM PDT by July 4th
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To: July 4th

My father flew chase on some of those test flights


9 posted on 03/13/2008 5:59:37 PM PDT by P8riot (I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop.)
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To: Renfield

Why not have a supersonic stealth unmanned heavy bomber aircraft? Wouldn’t that cut costs drastically?


10 posted on 03/13/2008 6:02:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (http://www.fourfriedchickensandacoke.blogspot.com)
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To: Renfield

***Stung by rumors that they were not serious about developing a new heavy bomber, the U.S. Air Force announced that it was developing such an aircraft, that it would be in service by 2018, ***

Shades of Jimmie Carter spilling his guts about the first Stealth Bomber while it was still Top Secret.


11 posted on 03/13/2008 6:02:23 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Only infidel blood can quench Muslim thirst-- Abdul-Jalil Nazeer al-Karouri)
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To: HangnJudge
No problem.

The B-52 has loads of capacity. Just fill it full of cruise missiles and use them to clear the area ahead of the flight path.

12 posted on 03/13/2008 6:03:10 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: July 4th

Is that the XB-70 Valkrie?

We used to dream of what future aircraft could look like and be like in the late 60s.

After the Boeing 747, everything just stopped as far as design development, except for the Stealth programs.

From 1945 to 1970 aircraft design and development was at warp speed.
After that, poof!

Having loved 2001: A Space Odyssey, including the Mad Magazine version, it has been a disappointing 38 years since the 1970 unveiling of the 747. We got the Space Shuttle, one of the most ugly air/space craft ever devised.


13 posted on 03/13/2008 6:05:13 PM PDT by exit82 (People get the government they deserve. And they are about to get it--in spades.)
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To: HangnJudge
and the Radar signiture of a barn door...

Fixed it for ya (except your spelling).

14 posted on 03/13/2008 6:06:49 PM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: July 4th

Isn’t the fighter in the background similar to what President Bush flew in the TXANG?


15 posted on 03/13/2008 6:07:31 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (http://www.fourfriedchickensandacoke.blogspot.com)
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To: July 4th

“If you really want to let a country know that we’re coming...”

Just don’t let any of our smaller jets fly close to it.

I.e.,”Midair Disaster” at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XB-70_Valkyrie


16 posted on 03/13/2008 6:09:05 PM PDT by VOA
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To: calcowgirl

Thank you, I was going to say that. As the person who machined all of the major parts to this airplane, I saw how much was spent on tooling. Many more COULD have been made at a much smaller cost, but it was not to be.


17 posted on 03/13/2008 6:11:41 PM PDT by irishtenor (Check out my blog at http://boompa53.blogspot.com/)
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To: P8riot

Our neighbor, the late Emil Pipersky, helped design that and the SST at North American.


18 posted on 03/13/2008 6:12:01 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (http://www.fourfriedchickensandacoke.blogspot.com)
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To: Renfield
A B-3?


19 posted on 03/13/2008 6:13:09 PM PDT by wolfpat (If you don't like the Patriot Act, you're really gonna hate Sharia Law.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Interesting.


20 posted on 03/13/2008 6:16:26 PM PDT by P8riot (I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop.)
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