Northrop Grumman B-21A Raider (LRS-B)

rooster said:
Josh_TN said:
Like that article states, a B-21 sized/ranged drone is probably not cost effective, but drones could stage from closer to the target to provide capability at a lower price. UAVs could be launched from forward austere air bases or potentially even rocket launched/parachute recovered (looking at you X-58). You could also potentially have a B-52 "escort" the B-21 carrying air launched UAVs; we've seen experimental UTAP-22s loaded onto F-15 pylons. Something larger and more sophisticated in the AGM-183 size/weight range could be carried four at a time as an attritable asset. Perhaps something smaller and expendable, like an extended range ADM-160, could be carried internally for additional support. Maybe the AGM-158B form factor (or stretched version in the AGM-86/1500kg range) could altered to be stealthy decoy; take away the 500kg warhead and you have a lot more space and weight for fuel and an EW payload. A B-52 could carry eight internally; a dozen more externally if that was the only type carried.
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EW requires power and it comes from the turbo fan which is quite tiny and reduces thrust. 500 pounds less warhead becomes 350 after new power equipment is added even assuming the tiny airframe can accommodate it and the cooling needed.
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ADM-160 manages to at least function as a decoy with a <200kg launch weight. There are supposedly other EW packages available for it, though whatever jamming modes it uses must be very low powered.
 
Yes, the MALD-J. The is also the MALI, which apparently completed its development program this year and MALD-V, which encompasses several versions, including a hunter-killer version.
 
www.bloomberg.com

B-21 Bomber Delivers Pentagon Surprise: It’s Under Budget So Far

Northrop Grumman Corp.’s cost estimate for developing the new B-21 stealth bomber has come in lower than the US Air Force’s $25.1 billion projection, according to the service’s chief weapons buyer, a rare early-stage success story among major weapons programs that routinely run billions over budget.
www.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com
 
bobbymike said:
www.bloomberg.com

B-21 Bomber Delivers Pentagon Surprise: It’s Under Budget So Far

Northrop Grumman Corp.’s cost estimate for developing the new B-21 stealth bomber has come in lower than the US Air Force’s $25.1 billion projection, according to the service’s chief weapons buyer, a rare early-stage success story among major weapons programs that routinely run billions over budget.
www.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com
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It’s amazing what can happen when you set a reasonable cost estimate for a program with reasonable requirements and don’t change those requirements mid-way through development.
 
The B-21 program learned a lot from the B-2 both involving both positive and negative aspects. The B-2 was proving out and developing the new technologies, hardware/software and manufacturing techniques in order to build and produce a large LO flying wing bomber aircraft. CATIA, Solidworks, etc did not exist, Northrop had to develop it's 3D design database. I was on the B-2 from 1986 to 1996 and we did a lot exhaustive modeling, simulations, including ground and in-flight hardware in the loop testing, we had some very exceptional lab facilities and capabilities within Northrop, lots of company investment. The B-21 can and it seems has capitalized on these experiences.
 
njiiaf said:
bobbymike said:
www.bloomberg.com

B-21 Bomber Delivers Pentagon Surprise: It’s Under Budget So Far

Northrop Grumman Corp.’s cost estimate for developing the new B-21 stealth bomber has come in lower than the US Air Force’s $25.1 billion projection, according to the service’s chief weapons buyer, a rare early-stage success story among major weapons programs that routinely run billions over budget.
www.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com
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It’s amazing what can happen when you set a reasonable cost estimate for a program with reasonable requirements and don’t change those requirements mid-way through development.
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That and an as yet unknown parts and engineering commonality with the "RQ-180", which is likely a further evolution of the X-47B.
 
Forest Green said:
Yes, the MALD-J. The is also the MALI, which apparently completed its development program this year and MALD-V, which encompasses several versions, including a hunter-killer version.
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Thought MALI was cancelled years ago?
 
Hydroman said:
The B-21 program learned a lot from the B-2 both involving both positive and negative aspects. The B-2 was proving out and developing the new technologies, hardware/software and manufacturing techniques in order to build and produce a large LO flying wing bomber aircraft. CATIA, Solidworks, etc did not exist, Northrop had to develop it's 3D design database. I was on the B-2 from 1986 to 1996 and we did a lot exhaustive modeling, simulations, including ground and in-flight hardware in the loop testing, we had some very exceptional lab facilities and capabilities within Northrop, lots of company investment. The B-21 can and it seems has capitalized on these experiences.
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Also important to note that with these new tools they were able to build production tooling up front. Production expertise is key to the success of this program. I'd like to hear what efforts are in the works to increase production rates.

Perhaps the UK might also be interested in B-21?
 
So almost an early Christmas present:

20181101105255_1024x.jpg
 
As longs as we are not greeted by an incomprehensible abomination analogous to the monster GA-ASI's MQ-Next has become i will consider myself well served.... Errrrrr... Oh wait!
www.defensenews.com

Some ‘hiccups’ with engine design, but B-21 on track, Wittman says

There have been some challenges with airflow and wing design early in B-21 production, but those shouldn't be game-stoppers, Rep. Rob Wittman says.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
Screenshot 2022-09-21 at 00-13-11 Some ‘hiccups’ with engine design but B-21 on track Wittman ...png

GAASMQNEXT AD SEP'22.jpg 1614580727.jpg

 
X-39 said:
As longs as we are not greeted by an incomprehensible abomination analogous to the monster GA-ASI's MQ-Next has become i will consider myself well served.... Errrrrr... Oh wait!
www.defensenews.com

Some ‘hiccups’ with engine design, but B-21 on track, Wittman says

There have been some challenges with airflow and wing design early in B-21 production, but those shouldn't be game-stoppers, Rep. Rob Wittman says.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
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What do you expect. The B-21 is a new bomber after all, having hiccups with certain parts of the aircraft are to be expected. They should be easy to overcome.
 
Let's remember how the Rafale was even rolled out before the ancestor of the B-21 was...
 
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B-21 rollout near identical to B-2 from 1988. Six aircraft in assembly (AV-1 thru AV-6) then rollout AV-1, complete remining tasks and systems checkout, taxi testing then first flight within a few months in early 2023, sounds about right.
 
Hydroman said:
B-21 rollout near identical to B-2 from 1988. Six aircraft in assembly (AV-1 thru AV-6) then rollout AV-1, complete remining tasks and systems checkout, taxi testing then first flight within a few months in early 2023, sounds about right.
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Yep. Just a week or two later in the year; B-2 rollout was late November

Going by the B-2 schedule, they are possibly shooting for a first flight in roughly February 2023, barring any problems in taxi testing.

 
TomS said:
Hydroman said:
B-21 rollout near identical to B-2 from 1988. Six aircraft in assembly (AV-1 thru AV-6) then rollout AV-1, complete remining tasks and systems checkout, taxi testing then first flight within a few months in early 2023, sounds about right.
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Yep. Just a week or two later in the year; B-2 rollout was late November

Going by the B-2 schedule, they are possibly shooting for a first flight in roughly February 2023, barring any problems in taxi testing.

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Sounds good to me. Won't have the issue with mushy asphalt in Feb 2023, remember B-2 taxi testing, the days were hot and got stuck.
 

Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Delivers Data Sharing and Cloud Firsts

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force signed an industry-first data rights agreement recently, opening B-21 data access and collaboration across the program, including the launch of a shared environment for the B-21 digital twin. The agreement...
news.northropgrumman.com news.northropgrumman.com
 
Flyaway said:
TomS said:
sferrin said:
sublight_ said:
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Yikes. Looks like it's got a kinked leading edge.
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Same image they used in the Super Bowl ad 7 years ago. No reason to think it's representative.

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Just someone in PR reusing the first public image they probably came across on their systems.
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Or it just looks like the leading edge bends due to complex camber.
67227-peoples-liberation-army-air-force-chinese-air-force-chengdu-j-10b_PlanespottersNet_10093...jpg
 
I wouldn't take anything from the sheet covered airframe image as accurate. It's just a representation. You can clearly see the nose doesn't even match the few images released of how the B-21 looks.
 

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