B-21 Vs B-2 - In this illustration, an actual B-2 Spirit (left) seen on the runway at Andersen AFB in Guam is next to a B-21 Raider. The Air Force has not yet released a detailed image of the new bomber. Photo: Benny Davis III/USAF; Illustration by Mike Tsukamoto/Staff
The first B-21 Raider bomber is being assembled at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., facility and is expected to be unveiled to the public in 20 months, with the first flight a few months later. The Air Force also plans to increase the purchase to 150 or more planes from 100 in its next budget proposal. The image of the B-21, which has been top secret for the past four years, is beginning to come into focus.
B-21 Vs B-2
Top Air Force leaders are starting to talk more openly about the B-21. Randall G.
B 21 Raider
Construction has begun on Northrop Grumman's Palmdale plant. "We have a plane there," Walden said. “It will be our test boat no. 1. We are literally working on a production line today. Large structures such as wings are brought to the assembly line.
As for the B-21 Raider, the USAF will not try to "hack" it. The new bomber will be unveiled. Randall G. Walden, chief of the Air Force Capability Office
Time is still elusive at this stage. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Steven W. Wilson said he was counting the days until the B-21's first flight, which he said would take place in December 2021. Walden isn't so sure. While that remains a goal, "I wouldn't bet on that date," he said, emphasizing how "sophisticated" the B-21 is. Integration issues, ground testing and even weather could affect the first flight, he said.
The Air Force won't just try to "hack it," Walden insisted, promising a public deployment to Palmdale, as it did with the B-2 in 1988. Air Force officials expect a much shorter preflight evaluation period before the flight from Palmdale to nearby Edwards AFB in California. Afterward, Walden said the USAF would "begin to disable" the B-21's capabilities.
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A B-1 Lancer crew heads to their aircraft at Eglin AFB, Florida. Photo: Samuel King Jr./USAF Expand photo Collapse photo
At a Palmdale event in August celebrating the B-2's 30th anniversary, Northrop Grumman said its workforce in California has grown from 24,000 to about 28,000. Yanis G., Chairman of the Aerospace Systems Industry. Pamilian said, "We're enjoying a tremendous hiring pace" while renovating and expanding the Palmdale facility, which included relocating RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4 Triton production operations.
Northrop's engineering and manufacturing development contract (including the first five aircraft) is a $23.5 billion investment. The production contract could be worth $55 billion for 100 planes, Walden said in 2016, not including additional, undisclosed programs in the "family of systems" that would make the B-21 effective.
The Air Force's original plan for the B-21 contract called for "80 to 100" aircraft, but USAF leaders have been touting "at least 100" for the past two years. At the AFA Air, Space and Cyber Conference in September, USAF Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein said he "stands 100 percent" with the view expressed by many third-party reports that 100 is not enough. While he acknowledged that the B-21 development cycle could not be accelerated, he said he would like to purchase more than 100 aircraft and purchase them sooner than currently planned.
B 2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
, presented the math behind the "Air Power We Need" analysis that called for seven more bomber squadrons, a necessary boost to project long-range power in the Pacific theater and elsewhere. "There are about eight planes in a bomber squadron," Donovan noted, so the Air Force analysis shows a need for 56 more bombers. "I think you're going to see us put some real numbers on the total number of bombers in the 2020 budget request," Donovan said. But he also cited an analysis by the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies that concluded the Air Force needs at least 174 B-21s, saying Goldfein "agreed with that."
The Air Force has not announced any deviations from the original B-21 cost targets and cost ceilings. In the 2010 dollar base year, the service said at the time of the contract that it expected the planes to cost $511 million each, but the price would not exceed $550 million. In 2019, it will amount to 553 million dollars and 651.7 million dollars, respectively. However, both figures were calculated for the purchase of 100 aircraft. higher production volume can reduce unit costs.
Air Force chiefs have repeatedly said the B-21 program is one of the best programs in the Air Force, exceeding both cost and schedule. Walden said the only thing that could dramatically increase the price of the plane is a major change in performance requirements.
The USAF Global Strike Command plans to retire 62 B-1 and 20 B-2 bombers by 2031. Producing 15 B-21s a year would give the Air Force 100 new bombers at the time. The Air Force reactivated the 420th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards, the unit that tested the B-2, so the B-21 could get up to speed.
B 2 Spirit
Edwards' satellite images reveal several new structures at the South Base site, including one building about 220 square feet, about the size needed for a B-2-sized aircraft. The Air Force also moved B-1 and B-52 test operations away from the South Base.
That the B-21 program did not use a subscale demonstrator to demonstrate the aircraft's aerodynamics, although he had previously described wind tunnel testing with the bomber. "You're always looking for ways to do things with less risk," he said, but the subscale plane was not part of that effort, he said. He declined to provide further details.
Walden's comment was interesting because several Air Force officials and members of Congress have made comments suggesting that they were pleased that the "fly before you buy" approach was taken with the B-21. In selecting Northrop Grumman as the B-21 contractor, the Air Force cited the company's ability to pursue the project based on "other programs." These could include a high-altitude surveillance, reconnaissance and reconnaissance aircraft called the RQ-180, which could resemble the rotary balloon layout of the B-21. Northrop's balance sheet shows a large amount of classified work.
The shape of the B-21, which is identical to that of the original B-2 plan, suggests that the aircraft was optimized for high-altitude stealth. The requirements for the B-2 were changed early in the program to provide the aircraft with greater rigidity and ease of handling during low-level flight. The shape of the B-2 has changed to the now familiar "saw" tail. a design overhaul that cost billions of dollars and a year.
B 2 Bomber Turns 25
The only artist's concept of the B-21 released by the Air Force shows the crane balloon shape unchanged, indicating that the USAF will not land the B-21 for land-based flying.
Development of the B-21 was not without problems. Rep. Rep. Rob Whitman (R-Va.), then chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Marine Energy and Forecasting, referred to a March 2018 dispute between "waterway contractors" and engine maker Pratt & Whitney.
An artist's concept shows the B-21 very straight and narrow with angled air intakes in the upper fuselage. To maintain stealth, the engine fan blades must be hidden inside the fuselage, and the duct must be lined with radar-absorbing materials to reduce the aircraft's radar cross-section.
Whitman said the B-21 uses a "very, very different design in terms of airflow," suggesting trade-offs between stealth and thrust are being discussed. Meanwhile, other contractors were concerned about emissions, he said. Without elaborating, Whitman also cited "problems" affecting the B-21's wings.
B 21 Raider Bomber Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
"Complex weapon system integration, especially engine integration," he said, is a challenge. "You have to get the [engine] throat dimensions right before you build anything." The rapid capabilities office "gained insight from actual lab testing," decided on a solution, and component testing proceeded "at an appropriate pace."
Whitman also noted that the B-21 program developed a non-flying "iron bird" form to test component fit. Using mock-ups in this way is a common step in aircraft design.
Meanwhile, Air Force officials describe the B-21 as an "extremely low-observability" design, unlike the "very low-observability" F-22 and F-35.
The Air Force has not said whether the B-21 will be powered by two or four engines, but aerospace analysts agree that the plane will likely use Pratt's F135 engine, which also powers the F-35 fighter jet. Two F135s can produce 56,000 pounds of dry (non-burning) thrust, but this requires more thrust than the B-2's four General Electric F118 engines.
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