NG B-21 gets procurement boost

a reply to: darksidius

Nah, Kansas looked much more like a B-2 than the Amarillo bird ever did.

Hope Northrop can do a better job than Boeing, saw a blurb the other day that the USAF stopped accepting KC-46 again because more debris was found.

But I still expect this to be over technical (as in shoot for far cutting edge rather than something we have worked the bugs out of)and under engineered with a great idea that is probably poorly executed that is a right royal pain in the tukus to work on. (like the B-1)

a reply to: Irishhaf

The very point of LRS-B is not to use cutting edge solutions like the previous program did.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Check your messages.

a reply to: Zaphod58

So 5 years later, I guess we really have no clue what they actually were. Other than that with them, the LRSB demonstrators, the stealth Blackhawk from the OBL raid, and the RQ-180, there at least a half dozen at this point undisclosed platforms that got far enough to fly end even enter limited service.

It never gets any less tantalizing to think about them, and maybe someday we'll actually get to see one or two of them.

a reply to: Barnalby

The answer was posted on the board. It was a nice boring mission that didn't involve going mach 15 dropping nuclear weapons so of course it was totally ignored.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
The answer was posted on the board. It was a nice boring mission that didn't involve going mach 15 dropping nuclear weapons so of course it was totally ignored.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Yeah, I know I've made more than a few somewhat reasonable guesses about what they might have been over the last 5 years or so.

Support birds are cool though, and I'd kill to see some stealth J-STARS or VLO spanloader with more ECM toys than an E-6 Prowler, or especially a Quartz-style 150'+ wide loitering flying wing with an RCS that makes a B-2 look like a B-1 that can stay on-station like a Global Hawk while returning more/better multispectral imagery than a fully kitted-out U-2, or whatever similar roles those two very different aircraft likely had, even if it isn't a mach 10 black triangle TSTO with pulse-detonation engines that drops rods of god on its target..

Light and fluffy, but it implies one senator was actually seen the b-21 in person.

www.kotatv.com...

a reply to: anzha

He's served on several Senate Armed Service subcommittees. None of them particularly relevant, but I'm sure he's been briefed on the pathway. Despite serving on Airland subcommittee, I doubt he'd see much beyond how it is able to tie into "the family of systems" . The B-21, as it were, doesn't exist yet, so it'd be pretty difficult to see one... Ellsworth is in his state. The announcement came recently, which is why he's being asked.

a reply to: RadioRobert

He's probably seen the competition demonstrator.

a reply to: Woody510

Doubt it. Possible, but unlikely, imo. He's not on the right sucommittee. He's probably read or received a very limited brief with general capabilities outlined.

At this stage of the game its probably a maybe bare airframe having its systems being fitted out.When you have it 95% built you still have 95% still to go.

a reply to: Blackfinger

It just passed the CDR at the very end of November. They probably aren't even that far even if they are going to deliver preproduction models for eval.

originally posted by: RadioRobert
a reply to: Woody510

He's not on the right sucommittee.

Oversight is actually handled by the airland subcommittee.
www.armed-services.senate.gov...

a reply to: RadioRobert
I wonder if they are using off the shelf B2 bits in it.I expect we can hear through the grapevine if they start machining the first big structural bits.

a reply to: mightmight

Airland is not in direct oversight of the Raider or any other strategic assets. Like I said, I'm sure he's gotten a brief, but that committee isn't getting a full run-down except to understand how it fits into the "family of systems" framework, and where it stands in EMD. Basically, is this project healthy and on schedule. Here's our plan. Here's where we're at. He'd need to be on the Strategic Forces or ETC subs to be getting the all access tours for a quiet project like this.

a reply to: Blackfinger

Doubt it. Structurally, they'll be similar, but we've come a long way on materials and processes in the last 30 years. Systems -wise, most of the B-2 wizard-work innards are old. Probably drawing from other programs though. Either straight off the shelf or adapted.

a reply to: RadioRobert

I'd guess multiple committees handle oversight over the program. I dont think we can say what every committee (or specific members of those committees) get briefed on. But it doesnt matter.
I dont think its far fetched to believe that Senator got to see the winning demonstrator. He might not be a member of the subcommittee most involved in the program, but so what? The Raider is not that big of a secret, its classified mostly due to budget politics and McCains criticism of the program. I fully expect the Air Force and Northrop showing off whatever they have to every lawmaker involved. Nothing gained by alienating them and showing them something already flying will get a long way. Just ask Gates.