Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider - update: 12/02/22 official public unveiling

[TEW]

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — The Air Force will unveil the first B-21 Raider in December, giving the public the its first look of the highly classified next-generation bomber.

Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, announced the bomber’s debut Sept. 20 during a roundtable with reporters at the Air and Space Force Association’s annual conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The exact date of the B-21’s roll out is not yet set in stone, and the Air Force is "still working to nail down all the plans,” Hunter said. "But it will be the first week of December.”

Although the B-21 Raider’s development and production timeline has largely been kept behind closed doors, it is listed as one of Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s seven operational imperatives. Kendall released the initiatives as roadmaps to guide the service’s modernization efforts. 

The Air Force developed the B-21 bomber to replace its aging fleet of B-1 and B-2 bombers. It hopes to eventually obtain a minimum of 100 Raiders, with a goal of some to enter the service by the mid-2020s. Its first flight is scheduled for next year, according to the service.

Northrop Grumman is under contract to build the new bomber at its plant in Palmdale, California. The service previously announced that it had six of the stealth bombers under production in February. In its budget request for fiscal year 2023, the Air Force asked for $1.7 billion for procurement and continued development and $381 million for engineering, manufacturing and design initiatives.

The B-21 Raider unveiling will be a historic moment, providing an exclusive view of the B-21 aircraft, a Northrop Grumman statement said.

"The B-21 is the most advanced military aircraft ever built and is a product of pioneering innovation and technological excellence,” said Doug Young, sector vice president and general manager, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems. "The Raider showcases the dedication and skills of the thousands of people working every day to deliver this aircraft.”

Northrop Grumman and the Air Force confirmed in May that the B-21 first flight is projected for 2023. The actual timing of first flight will be based on ground test outcomes, the statement said.

The unveiling will take place at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale site, during an invitation-only event, the statement added.

The first week if December is also the Reagan Defense Forum, held in Simi Valley, California, near the Palmdale facility. Senior defense leaders attend the forum every year.

Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, director of strategic plans, programs and requirements at Global Strike Command, said the demand for bombers across combatant commands is increasing beyond the fleet’s capacity.

"The demand across the COCOMs whether they're regional or global, is ubiquitous and unending and … beyond the capacity we currently have,” he said.

It will be challenging to decrease the risk for the B-21 as it comes online while transitioning from legacy systems, he said. 

"We've had to figure out how we're going to do this in transition, and with legacy platforms, and how can we bring down risk for the B-21, but simultaneously increase our capacity and our ability to get into that denied airspace,” he said. 

Melissa Johnson, acting director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said the close collaboration with Northrop Grumman has helped keep the Raider program "on cost and schedule,” she said.

"Our teams spend so much time at the industry plant that sometimes it is hard to tell who is government who is industry,” she said.

Rapid Capabilities Office also has a close relationship with the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, she noted. 

"We all get really fixated on developing whatever weapon system and being able to deliver that, but if you don't bake in the sustainment, the depot planning and how you would have not only sustained operations, but also lifecycle affordability … everything else on the front end will start to devolve,” she said. 

She added that the office is considering how it could ramp up production if needed. 

"When we look at the provisions that we've put into the program, I think we can always look at that, but you want to kind of get this on a solid foundation.”

Because of open systems architecture, it could be easier to modify the systems if requirements change, she said. 

Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president at Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, noted that the focus is on making the bomber "a daily flyer.” Members of Global Strike Command and maintainers have been working alongside Northrop Grumman employees for "over a year.” 

"We've had a real focus on maintenance right from the start,” he said.

Northrop Grumman’s engineers also took lessons learned from the B-2 bombers that the fleet will replace and addressed the difficulty of maintaining stealth types of platforms, he said. 

“[We] went out and looked at the major drivers on the B-2 and right from the start and designed to address those to make sure that we can, once again, live up to that ambition of being the daily flyer,” he said.

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2022/9/20/b-21-bomber-to-make-public-debut-in-december

By all reports, this will be the stealthiest aircraft in the world, but even more promising, is the most significant advancement is said to be in its maintenance costs. So far it’s one of the few USAF manned aircraft programs that have been on time and on budget.    

[lynched1]

1 hour ago, TEW said:

So far it’s one of the few USAF manned aircraft programs that have been on time and on budget.    

That budget tho. 🤣

[TEW]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:11 PM, lynched1 said:

That budget tho. 🤣

It’s honestly a huge deal. 2 of the last 3 major aircraft procurement programs (B-2 and F-22) got cut short by like 80% because of costs. And it’s not just the price tag of the airframe, but the operational costs.

So we end up buying much older designs in bulk with a small number of state of the art planes that are supposed to secure control of the war in the opening weeks.

This was fine in for the last 2 decades because no one else had anything new either, but China is rolling out a new fleet of their own stealth aircraft. Now, of course they’re not as good as ours, but they’re probably better than the legacy F-15’s and F-16’s that we have, and they’re going to have hundreds of them.

[TEW]

Thanks to @barho for the reminder.

@Mlodj heard good things? Are we going to get more than 20 of them this time around?

[Mlodj]

On 11/2/2022 at 10:43 AM, TEW said:

 

@Mlodj heard good things? 

No great insider insights, just a couple of general observations.  The selection process for the B-21 was not run by the Air Force's traditional acquisition community, but by the Rapid Capabilities Office. That means it was developed differently, and relied more on proven, demonstrated off-the-shelf technologies.  It's probably no coincidence all of the artist's renderings so far look very similar to the B-2.  As impressive as that aircraft is, there are several areas of it that could use major improvements.

Quote

Are we going to get more than 20 of them this time around?

Your guess is as good as mine.  As I mentioned in another thread the B-2 buy was slashed from over 100 to 21, and the F-22 was originally intended to replace the F-15 on a one for one basis which meant around 600 or 700 built.  From there the buy was reduced to 385 or so based on covering the various AEFs, and as the pressure mounted in Congress, the USAF said the absolute minimum they had to have was in the 280 range, but they ended up with only 195 built (8 test and 187 operational aircraft).  A number so grossly insufficient that the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff were fired for their protests over it (the public reasons given at the time for their firings were absolute b.s.).  Ultimately the buy is determined by the same Congress that often doesn't have the spine to do their job and pass a budget.

[TEW]

1 hour ago, Mlodj said:

No great insider insights, just a couple of general observations.  The selection process for the B-21 was not run by the Air Force's traditional acquisition community, but by the Rapid Capabilities Office. That means it was developed differently, and relied more on proven, demonstrated off-the-shelf technologies.  It's probably no coincidence all of the artist's renderings so far look very similar to the B-2.  As impressive as that aircraft is, there are several areas of it that could use major improvements.

Your guess is as good as mine.  As I mentioned in another thread the B-2 buy was slashed from over 100 to 21, and the F-22 was originally intended to replace the F-15 on a one for one basis which meant around 600 or 700 built.  From there the buy was reduced to 385 or so based on covering the various AEFs, and as the pressure mounted in Congress, the USAF said the absolute minimum they had to have was in the 280 range, but they ended up with only 195 built (8 test and 187 operational aircraft).  A number so grossly insufficient that the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff were fired for their protests over it (the public reasons given at the time for their firings were absolute b.s.).  Ultimately the buy is determined by the same Congress that often doesn't have the spine to do their job and pass a budget.

I was hoping that a more developed technology selection would be good for acquisition costs etc.

What needs improvement?

[we_gotta_believe]

1 hour ago, TEW said:

I was hoping that a more developed technology selection would be good for acquisition costs etc.

What needs improvement?

Probably the standard stuff, heat sig, rcs, stability, avionics, etc.

[TEW]

9 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Probably the standard stuff, heat sig, rcs, stability, avionics, etc.

From what I understand the RCS is going to be the smallest ever with lower upkeep costs because of new RAM. Avionics should be basically the same as the F-35, right?

[we_gotta_believe]

9 minutes ago, TEW said:

From what I understand the RCS is going to be the smallest ever with lower upkeep costs because of new RAM. Avionics should be basically the same as the F-35, right?

Smallest for a bomber, yeah. But you asked him what needed improvement over the B-2. 

[TEW]

9 hours ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Smallest for a bomber, yeah. But you asked him what needed improvement over the B-2. 

Yeah, I just guess my impression is that the B-21 is going to fill all (or almost all… speed/range can always be better) of the improvements needed, and do so at a relatively low cost by military aircraft standards at least.

Edit: also, the B-21 should have the smallest RCS of any aircraft ever, at least from the front. No vertical stabilizer plus new RAM and modern computers should make the RCS smaller than the F-22.

[Bill]

I'm going to take a wild guess that he can't say what needs to be improved.

[Mlodj]

20 hours ago, TEW said:

What needs improvement?

Nothing I would talk about on a public forum.

[barho]

Today is the day!  8PM EST reveal.  What I have heard is the tech in the B-21 is far superior to the B-2.  First gen 6 aircraft.

[Wentz_Era]

On 9/23/2022 at 7:11 PM, lynched1 said:

That budget tho. 🤣

Dollar store budget compared to the POS that the F35 has become.

[The_Omega]

On 11/8/2022 at 6:44 PM, Mlodj said:

Nothing I would talk about on a public forum.

PM me the info. Thanks in advance.

[TEW]

12 hours ago, barho said:

Today is the day!  8PM EST reveal.  What I have heard is the tech in the B-21 is far superior to the B-2.  First gen 6 aircraft.

Pretty bad ass. Doesn’t appear to have the gold tinted cockpit which most renderings expected.

[iladelphxx]

 

 

 

[Mlodj]

For the aviation geeks.

Quote

It was short, sweet and stealthy. The rollout ceremony for the new Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider was a well-produced but succinct event that hinted at more than it revealed. The first major strategic bomber introduction in 34 years, the rollout ceremony at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California facility featured political dignitaries, defense department officials, Air Force officers, enlisted personnel and a large group of employees responsible for the B-21 Raider program.  But the bashful star of the show was one mysterious looking gray bomber with very small engine intakes, unusual looking cockpit windows, and a wide, fat belly. There were absolutely no views of the B-21 Raider from the rear, top or side of the aircraft.  In almost every respect, the B-21 Raider rollout revealed no significant surprises from the artist renderings of the aircraft that have been in the public domain for years. As most analysts predicted, the majority of new capabilities for the B-21 Raider reside deeply concealed under its rumored-to-be new low observable coatings, within the millions (billions?) of lines of code that run its systems and a suite of sensors and network-enabled electronic and weapons capabilities that would be more at home in a science fiction novel than a current day aircraft. Given the immense operational security that has surrounded the B-21 program, it’s likely the first adversary to learn about the true operational capabilities of the Raider Raider will never survive to talk about them.

Northrop CEO Kathy Warden told Breaking Defense reporter Valerie Insinna that, "The real differences are inside of the platform, because you can think about how much digital technology has progressed since the time we built the B-2 and the time we built the B-21.”  The official unveiling of the B-21 Raider began after remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, Chairman, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman Kathy Warden and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Christopher W. Grady.  It was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III who delivered the most inspiring remarks about this historic moment in aviation history. Secretary Austin III invoked the legacy of the Doolittle Raiders, the group of U.S. Army Air Corps crews who executed the famous Doolittle Raid over Japan on April 18, 1942, and the inspiration for the official name of the B-21. Austin III compared the global precision stealth-strike capabilities of the new B-21 Raider to the Doolittle Raiders’ 1942 mission when they had, "Showed the strength, and reach, of American air power”.  Austin III went on to say, "The audacity of the Doolittle Raiders has inspired generations of American Aviators. It is fitting that the next chapter in American air power is named in their honor.” And, "The B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more than three decades. It is a testament to America’s enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation.”

But despite inspiring speeches, the star of the show was the shy, gray ghost initially dressed in a sheer gossamer-fabric frock who barely poked her head out of the Palmdale hangar.  Here’s the updated list of the details we noticed, almost live, as the aircraft was being unveiled:

Overall shape is similar to the one of the B-2 but the B-21 is probably smaller in size (not as small as I was expecting)

We weren’t allowed any side or planform views. While the Raider is believed to be a flying wing like the B-2, the NG photo below and some barely visible shadows *might* mean the aircraft has a sort of cranked arrow wing similar to the one of the X-47B. This is something we’ll discover in the future.

We can’t completely assess the shape of the "hawk’s-beak” profile, although it seems similar to what shown in the latest rendering and less pronounced than the one of the Spirit.

The B-21 features different inlets config (and blended conformal engine nacelles we can’t see from the front angle). The hd version of the front photo released by the U.S. Air Force reveal a splitter plate in the inlet.

The B-21 has a two-wheel MLG (Main Landing Gear)

MLG and Nose Gear doors: MLG doors are not trapezoidal but show serrated edges whereas the nosegear door is serrated and not attached to the gear leg but on the right side of the bay.

The Raider has a new four-pieces windscreen, like the Spirit, but with a very different shape for the two lateral windows. The side windows appear to be arched and narrower than the ones in the front (about half the height).

The color seems to be a light gray (like the RQ-180)

There’s a small logo in front of the nose gear wheel bay that appears to be the stylized Northrop Grumman Flight test badge that also appears on the X-47B right wing.

Pundits and defense spending curmudgeons will almost certainly blabber on that the B-21 is not tangibly different from the 34-year old B-2 Spirit. And that will be fine with the end-user U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command. The less information that potential adversaries can divine about the B-21’s capabilities from its appearance, the better, especially when it comes to low observable technology, avionics and weapons capabilities.  A vertical vane can be noticed inside the inlet. Moreover, as highlighted in red, some shadows might suggest the aircraft has a sort of cranked arrow wing similar to the X-47B. But this needs to be assessed when new images emerge.

The security and visual format for today’s B-21 Raider rollout ceremony was tightly controlled. This was likely in part because of a famous media faux pas 34 years ago at the November 22, 1988 rollout ceremony for the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. During that ceremony, an enterprising reporter from Aviation Week & Space Technology named Mike Dornheim, along with photographer Bill Hartenstein, flew over the unveiling of the B-2 Spirit in a Cessna 172 light aircraft and took photos. This was a view of the new bomber that was deliberately obscured by its position from the official viewing location. Dornheim and Hartenstein shot photos of the new B-2 from directly overhead, revealing (at least visually) the configuration of the rear of the aircraft, including its infra-red reducing exhaust features and overall plan form.  Recall that the now famous B-2 rollout incident happened before social media. In the current media environment, if Northrop Grumman hadn’t exerted significant controls on the B-21 Raider rollout, everyone from social media influencers with Mavic drones, to cub-reporters in Cessnas and Chinese surveillance satellites would be throwing shoulders for room to get images of the B-21. This time, the airspace over Palmdale was closed by NOTAM and reserved for the flyover of the current U.S. Air Force bomber triad.  But instead, the rollout of the B-21 Raider was a dignified affair, with the debutante revealing subtle external advances and hinting at profound internal operational capabilities while retaining her allure and no doubt, beginning a story that will become legend in defense and aerospace history.

 

[iladelphxx]

A B2 just flew over my place on its way to do a flyover at the Eagles game. 

Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever seen. 

 

[iladelphxx]

 

[greenskeeper]

A good test drive involves trying out all of the features... who do we nuke first? Iran? NK? Russia? 

[Mlodj]

40 minutes ago, greenskeeper said:

A good test drive involves trying out all of the features... who do we nuke first? Iran? NK? Russia? 

 

 

 

 

Dallas, of course.

[TEW]

New pics dropped:

[TEW]

Pretty good quick breakdown:

 

[TEW]