Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 So this morning I was sitting in a WebEx that talked about the new B-21 bombers coming to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. An Air Force secretary was talking about how important the new bomber would be to our strategic deterrence and actually made the following statement... ”The B-21 will gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 bombers, and join the B-52 to form the aerial wing of the nuclear triad. “ Cant make this stuff up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 4 minutes ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said: So this morning I was sitting in a WebEx that talked about the new B-21 bombers coming to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. An Air Force secretary was talking about how important the new bomber would be to our strategic deterrence and actually made the following statement... ”The B-21 will gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 bombers, and join the B-52 to form the aerial wing of the nuclear triad. “ Cant make this stuff up! The B-52 is less expensive to fly and has a higher readiness rate than the B-1 or B-2. The downside to the B-52 is that the seat cushions are still original equipment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Expected to initially order 100 at $550 million each. I’m betting 650 by the time they are delivered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Bigger than a drone. Smaller than the Death Star. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a30754024/b-21-bomber-images/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Don't forget, neither the B1 nor the B2 can carry a nuke. That's why the B52 still exists, and it has outlived several of its "replacements." I don't know if the B21 is slated to be nuclear-capable, but if so, it may finally replace the B52. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHOOTIN FOX Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 2 minutes ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said: Don't forget, neither the B1 nor the B2 can carry a nuke. That's why the B52 still exists, and it has outlived several of its "replacements." I don't know if the B21 is slated to be nuclear-capable, but if so, it may finally replace the B52. Where did you get this information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 4 minutes ago, SHOOTIN FOX said: Where did you get this information? I work on an Air Force base with a bunch of pilots from every platform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHOOTIN FOX Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 The aircraft carries all its weapons internally and is fitted with two separate weapons bays in the centre of the aircraft. The B-2 stealth bomber has the capacity to carry up to 40,000lb of weapons, including conventional and nuclear weapons, precision-guided munitions, gravity bombs and a range of maritime weapons. From US Air Force website. The aircraft are all nuclear capable. It may not be in their squadron mission, but all can carry nukes. Google Janes Weapons of the World. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 9 minutes ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said: Don't forget, neither the B1 nor the B2 can carry a nuke. That's why the B52 still exists, and it has outlived several of its "replacements." I don't know if the B21 is slated to be nuclear-capable, but if so, it may finally replace the B52. The 21 is projected/spec’d to be nuclear capable. There was mention of a fighter to accompany the B21 to the drop zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 2 hours ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said: So this morning I was sitting in a WebEx that talked about the new B-21 bombers coming to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. An Air Force secretary was talking about how important the new bomber would be to our strategic deterrence and actually made the following statement... ”The B-21 will gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 bombers, and join the B-52 to form the aerial wing of the nuclear triad. “ Cant make this stuff up! Can you please let the rest of us in on the inside scoop and/or the joke? Thanks LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 1 minute ago, SHOOTIN FOX said: The aircraft carries all its weapons internally and is fitted with two separate weapons bays in the centre of the aircraft. The B-2 stealth bomber has the capacity to carry up to 40,000lb of weapons, including conventional and nuclear weapons, precision-guided munitions, gravity bombs and a range of maritime weapons. From US Air Force website. The aircraft are all nuclear capable. It may not be in their squadron mission, but all can carry nukes. Google Janes Weapons of the World. I'll go ahead and trust the guys who do it for a living everyday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixgun Sheridan Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 2 hours ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said: ”The B-21 will gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 bombers, and join the B-52 to form the aerial wing of the nuclear triad. “ Cant make this stuff up! So two makes a triad now? What is it people usually say about military intelligence? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 1 minute ago, Sixgun Sheridan said: So two makes a triad now? What is it people usually say about military intelligence? . I don't read it that way. The nuclear triad used to refer to the 3 delivery systems - land based missiles, nuclear armed subs and nuclear bombs dropped from aircraft, I believe. I take the reference to the "triad" in the speaker's statement to mean that the described planes will, together, provide one of the three legs of the triad, i.e., the nuclear capable aircraft. Now, I'm not military, or defense, or even nuclear, so I may be all wet. But hopefully, if I'm off the mark, someone will translate. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 27 minutes ago, Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 said: Can you please let the rest of us in on the inside scoop and/or the joke? Thanks LL 18 minutes ago, Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 said: I don't read it that way. The nuclear triad used to refer to the 3 delivery systems - land based missiles, nuclear armed subs and nuclear bombs dropped from aircraft, I believe. I take the reference to the "triad" in the speaker's statement to mean that the described planes will, together, provide one of the three legs of the triad, i.e., the nuclear capable aircraft. Now, I'm not military, or defense, or even nuclear, so I may be all wet. But hopefully, if I'm off the mark, someone will translate. LL The B52 was first fielded in 1955. It’s a warhorse that they keep tweaking with new avionics and power plants, but it’s still the same basic plane doing its mission. The B1 and B2 are gee-whiz modern bombers that have come out in the last 30 years. The B21 is still in development but designed to replace the new fee-whiz planes, while it joins the oldest plane still on active duty, the B52. The money spent on the gee-whiz planes is cracking me up. The nuclear triad is as you described. It’s the three ways of launching nuclear weapons: submarines, aerial bombers, and land based missiles. The B21 and B52 are the two bombers who will make up their part of the triad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 It's been my understanding the B-1 was rendered incapable of carrying nuclear bombs as a concession to an arms treaty with Soviet Russia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 2 hours ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said: I'll go ahead and trust the guys who do it for a living everyday... I was an engineer on the B-1 a & b and the B-2. All of them are CAPABLE of carrying nukes. They all use a common rotary launcher and nukes fit them. Just because they are not carrying them today does not mean they are not capable of doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 The B-2 has been successful since its inception. it still works wonders daily. It had been updated and referee a number of time. Wouldn't it be cheaper and a better choice to put them back on the assembly line for another 60 years? They should have all the bugs worked out by now so they don't need field testing and there are likely spare parts everywhere and there are already flight and ground crews experienced with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffield, SASS #23454 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 The B-2 has been used to drop test the B-61 mod 11. Here is a link that specifies what aircraft can carry the B-61. B61 nuclear bomb - Wikipedia Duffield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: The B-2 has been successful since its inception. it still works wonders daily. It had been updated and referee a number of time. Wouldn't it be cheaper and a better choice to put them back on the assembly line for another 60 years? They should have all the bugs worked out by now so they don't need field testing and there are likely spare parts everywhere and there are already flight and ground crews experienced with them. 40 Rod.... Unfortunately when the 23 B-2 were completed, the assembly tooling was taken by the Air Force (they owned the tooling) and cut up for scrap. The only thing that is still in use is the composite fabrication tooling used to build spare composite leading edges, control surfaces and doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 7 hours ago, Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life said: I was an engineer on the B-1 a & b and the B-2. All of them are CAPABLE of carrying nukes. They all use a common rotary launcher and nukes fit them. Just because they are not carrying them today does not mean they are not capable of doing so. The B-1B is NOT nuclear capable, though it was initially intended to be so. The B-52H is undergoing continual mods, and will probably (unless the money is not appropriated by Congress) have its engines changed out to replace the obsolete and inefficient old fans. While the Buff is capable of handling gravity nukes, there is no way it could survive in a hostile environment. Therefore, it is and will be equipped with sophisticated stand-off weapons, that will enable it to do its job in relative safety. Not all Buffs are nuclear capable due to the treaties. They function as more tactical weapon systems. The Air Force has stated its intent to keep the Buffs operational until 2050! I want and intend to see them retired then...perhaps on my 108th birthday! Stay well and safe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.