US Air Force secretary unveiled the first official rendering of the new Long Range Strike Bomber

[KILL KILL]

Obvious name is Darkwing Duck.

 

[Curly Peibce]

The should name it the brown people murdering machine, be more literal with the name.

 

[Byron Carter]

On a somewhat related note, has anyone even pondered why the "Stealth" bomber is painted black?

Isn't that like the opposite of stealth when you're in the sky?

Just sayin'.

Also, we could go all Game of Thrones....

"B-21 Crow"

 

[Ultrashogun]

Lol, I imagine it like in National Lampoons Christmas vacation where Clarke makes a big deal to turn on the lights.

"Drumrole please"

Then the unveiling. Where did tens of millions of dollars go? And it looks like they just pasted a picture of the B2 from wikipedia. Its like they winged it at the last minute, probably smoked weed all day before noticing that the deadline was close!

Damn, they at least could have put some speed stripes or something to make it look different.

 

[Deleted member 457759]

It looks like they are going for volume on this one which makes a lot of sense. At 780 million a piece they will be a bargain, cheaper than the 1 billion for the B-2's. But back to the point ya having a hundred of them will be a major step in the right direction to maintain American dominance. I remember reading about fighter aircraft and seeing some people get lit up for claiming that America would be untouchable because of the superior tech alone. Well, a fighter can only hold so many missiles, if your enemy has vastly superior numbers you are going to lose. I'm not sure how applicable this is to bombers, in any case I'm sure the same principle applies.

I'm not sure what the fuss is about with regard to the similar air frame, if it doesn't need improving it doesn't need improving. One thing I'm curious about is if they will increase the range. Apparently the B-52's have continued to be utilized more throughout the B-2's existence because of this? I thought I was told that somewhere.

 

[Deleted member 457759]

On a somewhat related note, has anyone even pondered why the "Stealth" bomber is painted black?

Isn't that like the opposite of stealth when you're in the sky?

Just sayin'.

Also, we could go all Game of Thrones....

"B-21 Crow"

Most operations are carried out at night.

 

[GhostZ06]

i like this model better....

 

[SMEAC]

Most operations are carried out at night.

Actually its just for looks

 

[Anung Un Rama]

u would call it the Nazgul-1 (which would work better If it more resembled the SR-71 Blackbird.




And I guess it would have to make a scary noise, too....maybe save that name for the new AC-10/AC-130?

 

[Arkain2K]

The B-21: At $500 million each, is this a better bomber?
Northrop Grumman will build the new B-21 bomber. But many details about the bomber remain shrouded in secrecy.
Christina Beck, Staff February 27, 2016

On Friday, the US government announced that the Air Force’s next bomber would be manufactured by Northrop Grumman and named the B-21.

US Air Force Secretary Deborah James revealed the news at the annual Air Warfare Symposium. The bomber has been in development for some time, but the Air Force decided to keep it secret for national security reasons.

"The B-21 will allow the Air Force to operate in tomorrow’s high end threat environment," said Secretary James. "Our fifth-generation global precision attack platform will give our country a networked sensor-shoot capability that will allow us to hold targets at risk in a way the world – and our adversaries – have never, ever seen.”

The B-21, a nuclear-capable long range stealth bomber, will replace older Air Force bombers like the B-1 and B-52, reported the Washington Post.

"I am pleased that after years of delays we are back on track to acquiring this critical capability," said Rep. Randy Forbes (R) of Virginia, who chairs the House Armed Services’ Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee. "Our nation needs a large fleet of next-generation bombers."

Very few specifics are known about the new stealth bomber.

The B-21 looks very similar to the B-2 and will employ existing technology, James said.

Building the bomber

It has been a rocky road thus far for the B-21, which faces more hurdles before it goes into production.

Although Northrop Grumman won the contract to build the B-21 in October, both Boeing and Lockheed protested the contract award, calling the selection process "fundamentally flawed." The Government Accountability Office reviewed the protest and did not uphold it.

The original contract provided Northrop Grumman with an estimated $80 billion to build 100 bombers. The Air Force said it intends to pay about half a billion dollars per bomber. Sen. John McCain told reporters that he would block a cost-plus contract if it came before Congress.

"I will not stand for cost-plus contracts. They will say it’s because they’re not sure of some of the things they need in the development stage," said Senator McCain. “The mindset in the Pentagon that still somehow these are still acceptable is infuriating.”

The Air Force responded that the cost-plus provision only applied to the initial research and development phase of the B-21 project, not the production of the bombers.

McCain also criticized what he considered inordinate levels of secrecy surrounding the new bomber.

In addition to the names of the suppliers, the Air Force is also keeping a close hold on the value of the Oc. 27 contract award, as well as the bomber’s size, weight, payload and the extent of its stealth capabilities, USA Today reports.

McCain is not the only observer to criticize the Air Force for its lack of transparency on LRS-B. Retired Gen. John Michael Loh, who served as the chief of Air Combat Command, recently urged the Air Force to release additional details in order to drum up support for the costly program in the public eye and on the Hill.

“You are going to have to fight for LRS-B every day, every week, every month, every year, because there are people out there that are going to try to kill it, they are all over this town,” retired Loh said. “The sooner the Air Force can release the team, the industry team on LRS-B, the more support you are going to get. If you don’t do that, it isn’t going to survive.”...

The Air Force will unveil additional details about the secretive program in early March, Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements

The Air Force has requested a $120.4 billion budget for 2017.

In her "State of the Force" address, James said, "We have been downsizing for a long time in our Air Force and this simply must stop. And it is stopping."

The Air Force is keenly aware of the need to modernize. Earlier this month, Air Force Chief of Staff Mark Welsh acknowledged, "The platforms and systems that made us great over the last 50 years will not make us great over the next 50."


http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2016/0227/The-B-21-At-500-million-each-is-this-a-better-bomber