Release of the B-21 Raider

[alwyn2d]

They claim it can be flown manned or unmanned. There goes the Per Diem. Oh well.

Edited December 3, 2022 by alwyn2d

[FLEA]

You don't get Per Diem at Whitman it's a PCS..... 

[Sim]

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Sim

[M2]

18 minutes ago, Sim said:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/air/b-21-raider/

[Standby]

I have about as much SA on the B-21 program as the average Joe. That said, I found the reveal to be quite anticlimactic. I’m sure it was an extremely important day for the folks working on this thing, and those involved are probably quite proud this evening. Here is to hoping that it lives up to all of the chest-thumping narration we heard tonight. 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Standby
grahma

[Clayton Bigsby]

Windows look weird.

Kinda looks TG2 Dark Star-ish from the front.

[Pooter]

Hell yeah it was anticlimactic. A single nose on camera angle angle with intentionally weird lighting to obscure any detail whatsoever.. cmon guys. It's not some giant mystery the ass end is gonna be a cranked kite configuration with heat diffusing exhaust.  
 

The windows also looked super weird and matte finish almost like parts of it were still in mock-up form and not the final flying design.  The whole over the top grandeur for a single camera angle after dusk came across kindof desperate to me. "Sorry guys we know we were supposed to have flown this thing already but as a consolation prize we'll pull it 6.9 feet out of a dimly lit hangar and show you a front view real quick.. and the whole thing kinda looks like unpainted plastic.. but we promise it'll totally be amazing."

[Blue]

Northrop CEO sure likes to hear herself talk, doesn't she?

[GrndPndr]

Wonder if it has an Electrogravatic drive?

(Yes, my foil hat is on right now, and you can laugh and have a drink on me)

[HU&W]

Well, this sure seems evolutionary, not revolutionary.  

[Pooter]

1 hour ago, HU&W said:

Well, this sure seems evolutionary, not revolutionary.  

You know what would be revolutionary though.. if we actually buy the number of them we said we will

[uhhello]

8 minutes ago, Pooter said:

You know what would be revolutionary though.. if we actually buy the number of them we said we will

5 sounds like a good round number

[Biff_T]

[M2]

6 hours ago, Blue said:

Northrop CEO sure likes to hear herself talk, doesn't she?

Not just her.  I found all the speakers to be mind-numbingly dull...

[SurelySerious]

It was largely self congratulatory, and in reality they don’t have much to say. Here it is, in limited view; we can’t tell you anything about it, but we’re mostly on time. Hopefully we can make as many as planned.

[Biff_T]

How many ovens does it have?   Can it make brownies?   

[elvis]

Love the non pilot Navy Admiral talking about an Air Force bomber, really tied it all together. 

[Standby]

16 minutes ago, elvis said:

Love the non pilot Navy Admiral talking about an Air Force bomber, really tied it all together. 

Ya, the US really screwed the pooch on that one. I guess they forgot to consider the B-21 public unveiling event when appointing the 2nd highest ranking military official late last year. Rookie move. 

[hindsight2020]

Looks like a B-2 redux, which is to say, that thing looks DFFM [dee'-fem] (e.g. doesn't f*ckin fly much).

T-38a non-PMP TOLD in RCA in the summer is skkkkkkketch. 😄 

[Danger41]

1 hour ago, hindsight2020 said:

 

T-38a non-PMP TOLD in RCA in the summer is skkkkkkketch. 😄 

It’ll never happen but they should take the U-28’s getting retired IVO the same time the B-21’s start flying and use those as companion trainers. You won’t have any TOLD concerns, reliable as hell, and I’d suppose that the PC-12 is a better companion trainer than a supersonic white rocket. 

[WheelsOff]

8 minutes ago, Danger41 said:

It’ll never happen but they should take the U-28’s getting retired IVO the same time the B-21’s start flying and use those as companion trainers. You won’t have any TOLD concerns, reliable as hell, and I’d suppose that the PC-12 is a better companion trainer than a supersonic white rocket. 

Nowhere near as fun though!

[Danger41]

6 minutes ago, WheelsOff said:

Nowhere near as fun though!

Completely agree that it’s not as fun, but as a tax payer I’d rather have these crews getting training in a cost efficient and representative manner. If that’s with 70 year old T-38’s that can’t takeoff from
Ellsworth due to TOLD issues instead of U-28’s that have life out for the next 20 years*, then I’d prefer that.
 

Maybe I’m just jealous that I was never a part of a flying club community that had 38’s sitting on the ramp for me to go train in. But I’ve taken U-28’s into some pretty awesome places and that’s pretty fun too.

 

*The slick PC-12’s flown as companion trainers don’t have that much life left. Apparently doing 30 landings in dirt per sortie wears them out pretty fast. Who knew?

[Majestik Møøse]

2 hours ago, Danger41 said:

It’ll never happen but they should take the U-28’s getting retired IVO the same time the B-21’s start flying and use those as companion trainers. You won’t have any TOLD concerns, reliable as hell, and I’d suppose that the PC-12 is a better companion trainer than a supersonic white rocket. 

Companion trainers should be fast. Fast jets make brain fast.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/video/take-a-seat-in-the-cockpit-of-nasa-s-t38-jet-1002459715572

[Guardian]

It’ll never happen but they should take the U-28’s getting retired IVO the same time the B-21’s start flying and use those as companion trainers. You won’t have any TOLD concerns, reliable as hell, and I’d suppose that the PC-12 is a better companion trainer than a supersonic white rocket. 

No companion trainer for the raider is planned

[pawnman]

9 hours ago, Standby said:

Ya, the US really screwed the pooch on that one. I guess they forgot to consider the B-21 public unveiling event when appointing the 2nd highest ranking military official late last year. Rookie move. 

I get he's vice chairman of the joint chiefs, but seems like CSAF would have been a better fit regardless of his place in the JCS pecking order.