B-21 Patch Appears on Ebay. Real or Bogus?

a reply to: Blackfinger

Or the problem was encountered some time ago and they fixed a while ago...and they are leaking the info out now bit by bit as they get closer to the unveil.

a reply to: Zaphod58

well thats new to me

a reply to: Zaphod58

Weren't there sightings of it or something really similar in the Palmdale area nearly two years ago?

I always figured that the flyoff involved the "YB-21" vs the "YB-22" while B-21 EMD bird has been flying over the past year or two and when they pull the curtain back on the project we'll see the 1st LRIP bird.

That's more or less how the ATF and the JSF competions shook out in the white world, how the ATA apparently shook out on the black, and I'd honestly be shocked if the ATB competition didn't go down the exact same way and the only reason why we haven't seen the demonstrator airframes is that they got repurposed for other still-black programs.

a reply to: Barnalby

I saw what I assume was it going into Palmdale about a year ago or so. The size based on the lights was about right, as was the timing.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Now, the real question I have is whether the EMD bird is a heavily modified upgrade of the competition demonstrator, testing sub-componenents on a "close-enough" airframe, or a bare bones YB-52 style prototype airframe that is more or less identical to the real deal minus the subsystems that will be added in as they mature through the EMD process.

I guess the answer to that one will probably boil down to whether the competition bird was an original build or an adaptation of an existing airframe from NGB or something similar, though I guess if it was original for the LRS-B competition it still could be a bare-bones demonstrator a la the YF-22 and the X-35.

EMD bird I thought was Wichita..

originally posted by: Zaphod58

Personalty I'm leaning towards bogus.

I agree.
Not enough stars on the patch.
Not enough real info.
It lacks "the right stuff"
Then again... I dont know what you guys know... Would a patch like this signify that it's being tested down south?
one more edit.
God gosh, according to this patch, that thing looks like the A-12

originally posted by: HomeyKXTA

originally posted by: Zaphod58

Personalty I'm leaning towards bogus.

I agree.
Not enough stars on the patch.
Not enough real info.
It lacks "the right stuff"

Then again... I dont know what you guys know... Would a patch like this signify that it's being tested down south? one more edit.
God gosh, according to this patch, that thing looks like the A-12

Well that's because it kinda DOES look like an Avenger. So does the B-2. They are all flying wings. Goes to show you how long we have had this same design in our back pocket.

I have to admit I have zero knowledge on military patches but the embroidery not being symmetrical certainly catches my eye, surely an official patch has the writing look more in line around the rim, the "C" in combined looks further around than the "E" at the end of force.

Oh and it on EBay like the transformers movie and his glasses

I thought the hand holding a stylised mushroom (presumably as in "mushroom cloud") was a nice touch, whether or not the patch is real.

If Shadowhawk says real, then I'm willing to believe him. If they're letting them be seen walking around, we really are close to seeing it flying around.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I'm still not sure why this is generating so much interest. Every test organization makes patches. This has been a tradition since the 1940s. Even programs that were cancelled without producing a single flying airframe had patches. For example, there are more than half a dozen different patches for the MDD/GD A-12 Avenger. The same for the ultimately cancelled AGM-137 TSSAM.

We probably won't see an actual B-21 for years yet and there are already at least five patches out there. Several of them have appeared on eBay over the past year or so, along with pins, coins, mugs, and hats.

It's also funny to see people criticize the patch embroidery and artwork. Take a look at some of the goofy patches for the F-22 or F-35. Better yet, pick up Pat Blazek's book on patches of the F-117A program.

a reply to: Shadowhawk

Of course they do, but with the comments recently coming out of Edwards and the occasional comment out of the Pentagon, it's interesting. Until the actual aircraft is seen flying around, just about anything about it will cause a buzz.

I've got an F-117 CTF patch that looks like it was made in someone's house on their sewing machine.

originally posted by: Zaphod58

Personalty I'm leaning towards bogus.

"The 17th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The group was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida."
17th Bombardment squadron
Interesting how there's a "17" in Roman numerals, and the 17th participated in the Doolittle raids.
Inactive my foot.

a reply to: HomeyKXTA

With this being a test patch it's probably not the 17 Bomb Squadron. It makes more sense that it would be the 417th Flight Test Squadron.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Gotcha.
My bad!

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: HomeyKXTA

With this being a test patch it's probably not the 17 Bomb Squadron. It makes more sense that it would be the 417th Flight Test Squadron.

B-21 officially announce at Edwards

"....during a fairly obscure regional business conference attended by Brigadier General Carl Schaefer, the boss of the expansive 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base. During his remarks he made it clear that B-21's testing home would be Edwards Air Force Base, and that the stealth bomber will be heading there sooner than some may have speculated."
So I guess the 417th squadron is under the umbrella of the 412th.

a reply to: HomeyKXTA

It was part of the 412th Operations Group. They tested the C-17, then stood down until the YAL-1A began testing, then deactivated again in 2012 when that program shut down.