B-21 Raider: Next step, First flight!

They used to carry out the Fincastle Maritime Trophy comp there in the 80’s/90’s I believe...also when I was there with the Tonkas doing bombing practice on local rocks we had a few beers with the local “Seal” population...we never seemed to have any problems with the fishing fleet lads from Campbeltown when out drinking with the furry animals in the local pubs...cannot think why...😂a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

Double post

I actually saw that go over my house..but this one was Dragon88 80-1094 at 17,000 feet at 9.41...must have been a U2 Det’s day out....high up obviously but you could see what it was..no chance of seeing the 60k one....looked on ADSB and it came from somewhere Macrahanish way and was going down to Fairford...nice day for a flight too..😇a reply to: RexKramerPRT

a reply to: Silentvulcan

Aircraft and crew swap. One from the ME one from CONUS. They're early though. The bird from the AOR might have broken something they don't want to fix in the field.

Cheers Zaph....watched them taking off from Fairford during GW2...lifted off and then went nearly vertical for the climb out!!! 😳 a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: Silentvulcan

It's actually more impressive catching the WB-57 taking off.

Seeing some Janet flights coming into Plant 42 area today. Any of the locals seen increased activity at the field?

a reply to: WalterDoLittle

No, nothing big being reported. Lots of U-2 activity, and a B-2 dropping in for PDM, but nothing unusual. Janet pops in pretty regularly. We saw four or five flights through when we were there, in addition to an NG bird that was regularly in and out.

They are getting ready to do some serious work on the runways though. They're about to close 7/25 until this fall, then 4/22 will close for a few months.

Assembly is coming along
B21 progress

a reply to: Blackfinger

“We’re closely monitoring the build of the additional test aircraft and associated software to support the first flight,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told an audience.

a reply to: mightmight

i think they are counting the one or two already flying around but the older two are more than likely at this point test beds for the electronics as this new airframe will start to bring it all in tighter and tighter



i have a rather good feeling i saw the loser for this contest, and if what i saw was the loser it really makes me wonder what is on the current B21. maybe it was a money and modularity thing? looked cool



ETA i would be surprised if it wasn't shunteds to another program of family, i could see a super stealthy and very fast ultra stealth aircraft. maybe the old shadow can come out and we can see what made the F117in part) such a great family(small but great).


where the new EF-111's anyway right?

P-AEA was put on a NG UAV, not a fastmover. P-ISR is a similar story.

I think it is possible the Lockheed bird moved over in the CPGS realm. They had some productive meetings with the SecAF post protest denial.

a reply to: mightmight

P-AEA was put on a NG UAV, not a fastmover. P-ISR is a similar story.

Cite?

I have always thought this was going to be the case, but actual citable links are always better.

a reply to: anzha

www.airforcemag.com...

This a topic for another day but basically the idea of the RQ-180 as a recon craft is inaccurate and the designation bs. Should be EQ-180 or MQ-180. Of course not 180 anything. Recon is covered by someone else.

At AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, a Northrop Grumman “electronic billboard” showed a stealthy-looking unmanned flying wing vehicle with a Global Hawk-like uplink fairing, labeled as a “Penetrating Stand-In Airborne Electronic Attack” platform. The company had no literature to share about the concept.

Im thinking its been flying for a while .Remember when a couple of birds were flown in the open for the other side to see.

a reply to: Blackfinger

I was flying at 20,000ft directly below them. Got some pics I thought would look great after they passed me and they look like specks. I considered saying “you are conning” over guard but that would have caused every person in the sky to look up. Not sure how you could have missed them. I was pretty darn close and saw them better than the grainy photos out. Watched them go east and come back around to rtb all by their cons. I’m happy the let it fly out in the open.

a reply to: mightmight

stuff nowadays just coming out and what we know about are all about multi role abilities. that's great and all but sometimes a specialized 'tool' is needed to do a good job....you can do alot things or do a few things well

i want a manned 6th gen EF-111, depending on the size you could make it or a few of them missile trucks with sead abilities along with all the stealth and sensor stuff in 6th gen 4 of them teamed up with a drone(s) so high and persistent no one really knows they are there and use them as target designations or GPS locations and than BDA for a follow on of normal heavy stealth platforms to take the rest of the non sam targets out.

and that's not even getting into offshore missile launches from surface ships or subs.

a reply to: penroc3
You get that with the LRS-B FoS. No one is gonna pay for a 6th gen solution for the next twenty years.

Per the Pentagon, first flight should be in December.

Make that December 2021. I'll believe that when I see it.

www.airforcemag.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

That's a 3 year EMD.

*cough*bull#*cough*