B-21

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B-21

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:17 pm

Pentagon to unveil its newest nuclear stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/b-21- ... lth-bomber#

WASHINGTON - America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber is making its public debut after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China.

The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber aircraft in more than 30 years. Almost every aspect of the program is classified. Ahead of its unveiling Friday at an Air Force facility in Palmdale, California, only artists’ renderings of the warplane have been released. Those few images reveal that the Raider resembles the black nuclear stealth bomber it will eventually replace, the B-2 Spirit.

The bomber is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of its nuclear triad, which includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China’s rapid military modernization.

China is on track to have 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035, and its gains in hypersonics, cyber warfare, space capabilities and other areas present "the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system," the Pentagon said this week in its annual China report.

"We needed a new bomber for the 21st Century that would allow us to take on much more complicated threats, like the threats that we fear we would one day face from China, Russia, " said Deborah Lee James, the Air Force secretary when the Raider contract was announced in 2015. "The B-21 is more survivable and can take on these much more difficult threats."

While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once you get inside, the similarities stop, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is building the Raider.

"The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21," Warden said.

Other changes likely include advanced materials used in coatings to make the bomber harder to detect, new ways to control electronic emissions, so the bomber could spoof adversary radars and disguise itself as another object, and use of new propulsion technologies, several defense analysts said.

In a fact sheet, Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia, said it is using "new manufacturing techniques and materials to ensure the B-21 will defeat the anti-access, area-denial systems it will face."

10 Facts About Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider
https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/f ... -21-raider

Warden could not discuss specifics of those technologies but said the bomber will be more stealthy.

"When we talk about low observability, it is incredibly low observability," Warden said. "You’ll hear it, but you really won’t see it."

Six B-21 Raiders are in production; The Air Force plans to build 100 that can deploy either nuclear weapons or conventional bombs and can be used with or without a human crew. Both the Air Force and Northrop also point to the Raider’s relatively quick development: The bomber went from contract award to debut in seven years. Other new fighter and ship programs have taken decades.

Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider will be unveiled on Dec. 2, 2022, at the company’s site in Palmdale, Calif., marking the first time the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft will be seen by the public. (Credit: Northrop Grumman)
The cost of the bombers is unknown. The Air Force previously put the price for a buy of 100 aircraft at an average cost of $550 million each in 2010 dollars -- roughly $753 million today — but it's unclear how much the Air Force is actually spending.

The fact that the price is not public troubles government watchdogs.

"It might be a big challenge for us to do our normal analysis of a major program like this," said Dan Grazier, a senior defense policy fellow at the Project on Government Oversight. "It’s easy to say that the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually flies. Because it’s only when one of these programs goes into the actual testing phase when real problems are discovered. And so that’s the point when schedules really start to slip and costs really start to rise."

The Raider will not make its first flight until 2023. However, using advanced computing, Warden said, Northrop Grumman has been testing the Raider’s performance using a digital twin, a virtual replica of the one being unveiled.

The B-2 was also envisioned to be a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, but the Air Force ultimately built only 21 of them, due to cost overruns and a changed security environment after the Soviet Union fell.

Fewer than that are ready to fly on any given day due to the significant maintenance needs of the aging bomber, said Todd Harrison, an aerospace specialist and managing director at Metrea Strategic Insights.

The B-21 Raider, which takes its name from the 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, will be slightly smaller than the B-2 to increase its range, Warden said.

In October 2001, B-2 pilots set a record when they flew 44 hours straight to drop the first bombs in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. But the B-2 often does long round-trip missions, because there are few hangars globally that can accommodate its wingspan. That limits where B-2s can land for needed post-flight maintenance. And the hangars needed to be air-conditioned — because the Spirit’s windows don’t open, hotter climates can cook cockpit electronics.

The new Raider will also get new hangars, to accommodate the size and complexity of the bomber, Warden said.

A last noticeable difference is in the debut itself. While both will have debuted in the Air Force’s Palmdale Plant 42, in 1989 the B-2 was rolled outdoors amid much public fanfare.

Given advances in surveillance satellites and cameras, the Raider will debut very much under wraps and will be viewed inside a hangar. Invited guests including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will witness the hangar doors open to reveal the bomber for its public introduction, then the doors will close again.

"The magic of the platform," Warden said, "is what you don’t see."

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Re: B-21

#2 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Nov 11, 2023 3:12 pm

B-21 Raider’s First Flight: What We Learned
Our analysis of seeing the first B-21 Raider, nicknamed Cerberus, in the sky and from many new angles for the very first time.


https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/b ... we-learned

Link has pics and videos.

The B-21's first flight — a massive milestone for Northrop Grumman and the USAF — provides us with totally new looks at the world's most advanced flying machine. Here are some key takeaways from what is really the Raider's first full unveiling.


First off, the name. Yes, It's the B-21 Raider, but the first example of the type has a special nickname that is adorned on its gear door: Cerberus.


Cerberus is the hound of Hades that guards the gates of the underworld to prevent the dead from escaping. So, in Greek Mythology terms, the first of the B-21s has a very dark and ominous name. It is fitting for what is arguably among the most destructive flying machines ever created.

Many are asking about the long wire and aerial the B-21 was towing behind it on takeoff. Its presence should not come as a surprise as it is a normal fixture for initial flight testing. It is an air data 'trailing cone' used to capture 'clean' static air measurements that are undisturbed by the aircraft. This sensor is in addition to the jet's long flight test air data probe installed on its lower front left side. These are critical instruments for gathering precise data for the B-21's initial flight testing activities, in addition to the myriad standard sensors that are installed conformally around the aircraft and specialized test equipment situated inside.

Moving on to the big takeaways regarding the jet's structure and features. Chief among them is the B-21's planform. It is exactly what we thought it would be and it's also what a higher-flying earlier iteration of the B-2 was supposed to be. You can read all about the B-21 design's direct link to the Advanced Technology Bomber program's Senior Ice design, which became the B-2 Spirit, in our feature from six years ago bringing it to light.

While pictures of the B-21 taxiing, including its empennage, have been circulating for weeks, we can now say conclusively that the B-21's strange 'horns' on either side of the center fuselage barrel (or hump in this case) are indeed auxiliary air intake doors. There was speculation that they were posts for additional air data sensors, or even radar reflectors, but that is not the case.

The B-21's conformal inlets are among the program's most exotic (known) features that are documented publicly to have been a major challenge to realize during development. Low observable inlets are among a stealthy aircraft's most critical attributes. Separating turbulent boundary layer air and just getting enough air at all through serpentine ducts used to hide the highly reflective engine fan faces to not starve the aircraft's engines are major hurdles. In addition, what may not be a problem while cruising can become a huge issue at high power settings and increased angles of attack seen during terminal operations.

The B-21 accomplishes this same thing via relatively large plank-like triangular doors that open vertically back from the intake openings, similar to where the B-2's doors are. This provides additional direct air to the Raider's still unknown (in quantity and model) engines. This gives the jet a unique 'horned' or devilish appearance when on the ground taxiing, as well as while taking off and landing.



The B-21's profile is also more striking than we pictured, with its angled side windows giving it a sinister 'angry' look. Its smaller stature than its bigger progenitor, the B-2, is also apparent from this angle. Its massive shelf-like 'duckbill' leading edge/nose is very visible, a major low-observable attribute that limits line-of-sight to the B-2's upper fuselage from lower viewing angles, among other advantages. Considering it will likely be flying higher than most other aircraft, and ground defenses are perhaps its most important threat to evade, it is a key attribute. It's also one that has a long history with low-observable aircraft design dating far back, with it being especially prominent on Northrop's Tacit Blue demonstrator, the grandfather of the B-21 Raider.

We also see the black areas between the B-21's blended engine nacelles and the center fuselage hump towards the rear portion of the jet. It remains unclear exactly why this area is that tone, although it could have something to do with the engines being mounted near there.

Overall, the B-21's profile is remarkably sleek and its inlet and engine 'humps' are far less prominent than the B-2's when viewed from the side.

The B-21's belly is perhaps the most intriguing part of the aircraft we saw in today's first flight. We now clearly see its primary weapons bay (more on the primary part in a moment). It is much smaller than that of the B-2, but we knew that would be the case, with the aircraft likely having less than half the B-2's weapons payload capacity. Instead of being able to carry two Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), one will likely be contained in a B-21. It is possible that the bay is even too small for the MOP, with a new, smaller deep-penetrating weapon taking its place, but that seems less likely at this time.

The bay will likely be 'smarter' and more easily reconfigurable for different weapons arrangements than its predecessor too, leveraging the aircraft's open architecture systems for easier integration of new weapons, decoys, and air-launched drones.

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Re: B-21

#3 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Nov 11, 2023 3:13 pm

B-21 First Flight
Part 2


One major question that remains is does the B-21 have smaller secondary weapons bays, as well? This is something I have posited could (or at least should) exist to take advantage of the jet's expanded roles and new weapons available to it. These include advanced air-to-air missiles for self-defense and the Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW) for fighting its way into highly protected locales and defending itself in general.


Using up space on a large primary rotary launcher for these weapons seems somewhat problematic, so having smaller and shallower auxiliary bays to accommodate them would be beneficial. It looks like this may be the case, with definite hatches of some sort next to the primary weapons bay, but it is unclear if these are there for maintenance access, including engine access, or if they are for weapons storage. The B-2 has similar panels, as well, so it is hard to tell, but the inner panels next to the primary bay are intriguing.

Adding to the possibility of additional weapons bays flanking the primary one is the fact that the B-21's gear, while using a single truck instead of two like on the B-2, seems to stow similarly, hinging forward under a single large door that closes inward.


Finally, we have the rear. A stealthy aircraft's exhausts are very critical to the type's low observable capabilities, both on the radiofrequency (RF) and infrared (IR) spectrums. In this case, they look quite similar to the B-2's exhausts, although they look even more conformal, with the engines very deeply buried, and smaller than their predecessors. They also do not have a chevron trailing edge to their planar heat diffusers. Once again, this raises the question of if the B-21 is a twin or quad-engined aircraft. We just don't know, but if it does leverage four engines, they would need to be relatively small in size based on what we are seeing. The B-2 can fly with two engines out on the same side, just as a side note, so the B-21 should be able to with an engine out, as well, if it is indeed a twin-engine aircraft.

The B-21 appears to have a prominent shelf-like extension from its fuselage 'hump' at its trailing edge apex and lacks the variable geometry 'beaver tail' of its predecessor. This makes sense considering its similarity to the B-2's original design, which lacked the low-altitude penetrating requirements that ended up giving birth to the aircraft's serrated trailing edge and 'gust-alleviating' beaver tail.

Then there is the color, which has not changed. It remains a light gray, which would indicate that the aircraft is intended for day and night operations. This could always change, but it makes sense and is something we thought could be the case prior to the roll-out.


Size-wise we estimated the B-21 to be between 135-155 feet wide, compared to the B-2's 172 feet. It will likely be shorter as well and the B-2 is already a transformer when it comes to viewing it head-on compared to side-on, which turns the aircraft into something akin to the size of an F-15.

Finally, we have all the apertures around the aircraft. Not a lot is new there from our last look and analysis of the jet. What's missing are the big dual radar arrays seen on the B-2. It's very possible the B-21 will not rely on such large arrays, with advances in AESA technologies and the possible need to use semi-mature off-the-shelf systems resulting in smaller arrays. On the other hand, conformal load-bearing antenna structures (CLASs) could conceal large arrays that are built right into the B-21's structure. Smaller common AESAs placed around the aircraft for near 360-degree sensing, communications, and electronic warfare are also quite probable. You can read all about these possibilities and about advances in radar technologies in this previous report of ours.

Northrop Grumman's Electronically-Scanned Multifunction Reconfigurable Integrated Sensor (EMRIS) is a great example of a scalable, wideband, multi-mode array that can provide major advantages in many different types of installations that add up to far more than the sum of its functions. These placed around the B-21 could provide sensing, some networking communications, and electronic warfare capabilities. (Northrop Grumman)

It's also worth noting that the B-21 was built around a family of systems, with some capabilities being handled by other aircraft and sent through secure networks to the B-21. This could very well (and probably does) include a stealthy radar-toting asset like the so-called RQ-180. In other words, it may have offset even some features found on the B-2 to other platforms. And of course, this is a prototype — a very production representative one though. Certain systems and avionics could (and likely will) be added later and/or featured in follow on aircraft now under construction. The B-21 was also dreamed-up with spiral development in mind, so new capabilities will be inserted as they emerge or as they are needed with far greater ease than on the B-2. And, as we always stress, the outside only tells part of the story, what's inside is where the real magic happens.

So there you have it, our initial analysis of what we have seen on a historic day in aviation, as well as a huge accomplishment for the USAF and the hard-working folks and Northrop Grumman's B-21 Raider program. Now the aircraft is in the hands of its testers at a sprawling facility at Edwards Air Force Base that was specifically upgraded to support the program.

As such, we should slowly learn more official details about the Air Force's pride and joy in the not-too-distant future.

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Re: B-21

#4 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Nov 11, 2023 4:21 pm

Video of flight:



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