United States Air Force and Pentagon unveil new B-21 Raider stealth bomber in tightly controlled ceremony

[Buckshot Bear]

China ain't to happy....they've got their chopsticks twisted over that Australia looks like getting some of these as well.

 

America's newest nuclear stealth bomber has made its debut after years of secret development, part of the Pentagon's answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-03/us-air-force-stealth-bomber-b21-raider-reveal/101731230

 

 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Being build about 8 miles from where we lived in Palmdale Ca at Plant 42.

[Jessey Hightower]

I am so glad they decided to tell everyone about what is being built. Some things should maybe, you know, stay secret. 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

1 hour ago, Jessey Hightower said:

I am so glad they decided to tell everyone about what is being built. Some things should maybe, you know, stay secret. 

You need to spend some time at 42 then. LOL

[Cypress Sun]

1 hour ago, Jessey Hightower said:

I am so glad they decided to tell everyone about what is being built. Some things should maybe, you know, stay secret. 

 

Unfortunately, I'll wager that the Chinese already knows all about it.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

It will be stationed at Whiteman AFB, about an hour-plus from me. 
 

Back in late ‘90s, I got to fly the B-2 full-motion simulator at Whiteman. The plane is so expensive to fly, they use it to certify pilots before they ever take to the air. It was an amazing experience, lasting about 30 minutes which I could put in my logbook. 

[Utah Bob #35998]

AF needs some publicity. Space Force has been stealing their thunder.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Utah Bob #35998

[Lone Spur Jake SASS #7728]

I can here "her" now,  "TURN ME LOOSE, TURN ME LOOSE I SAY, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I WANT TO PLAY!!!"

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

One more super gee-whiz device that can be made useless by the failure of a two dollar part?

[Lone Spur Jake SASS #7728]

Doubt it Forty Rod, they probably spent $600.00 on the toilet seat nobody will ever use, so didn't skimp spending your tax payer dollars on anything else.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

19 minutes ago, Lone Spur Jake SASS #7728 said:

Doubt it Forty Rod, they probably spent $600.00 on the toilet seat nobody will ever use, so didn't skimp spending your tax payer dollars on anything else.

Cost doesn't necessarily mean it will not fail.

[Diego Kid #4631]

Hey Abilene Slim. The B-21 will be stationed at Ellsworth AFB here in South Dakota. They've started prepping for it for some time now.

[Muleshoe Bill SASS #67022]

You can be sure, that before this beast was revealed, the USAF already has at least three experimental or possibly semi-operational air-frames in production. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

2 hours ago, Diego Kid #4631 said:

Hey Abilene Slim. The B-21 will be stationed at Ellsworth AFB here in South Dakota. They've started prepping for it for some time now.

Yup, and Whiteman too, as of now. Where they go will probably depend on how many they build. They were going to build a lot more B-2s than the 21 actually built. 
 

Whiteman is already set up for Stealth bombers, but I know nothing of their capacity to handle more. I’m sure Pentagon politics will factor in too. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

My question is “Is Oz getting them or is Oz agreeing to let them park somewhere?”

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

13 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

My question is “Is Oz getting them or is Oz agreeing to let them park somewhere?”

 

Like right behind the B-52's....   

[Buckshot Bear]

24 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

My question is “Is Oz getting them or is Oz agreeing to let them park somewhere?”

 

Government will be buying them like we've bought the F-35's

B52's have been here for a long time (US pilots though) and air bases have been updated for them. 

 

Thankfully our countries have been the staunchest of allies for more than a Century. 

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Do stealth planes get to sleep in hangars or do they park out on the tarmac somewhere and endure the weather?

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Do stealth planes get to sleep in hangars or do they park out on the tarmac somewhere and endure the weather?

 

 ..... well, .... they won't like the Australian weather, ........ it'll try to kill them .......  

[Buckshot Bear]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Do stealth planes get to sleep in hangars or do they park out on the tarmac somewhere and endure the weather?

 

I'd say in hardened concrete covered bunker/roof.

[Trailrider #896]

19 hours ago, Jessey Hightower said:

I am so glad they decided to tell everyone about what is being built. Some things should maybe, you know, stay secret. 

Pretty hard to do that once they start flight testing the bird! The details won't be made known for a long time to come. At least until some traitorous spy starts sending the details to Xi and Vlad!    Besides which, sometimes it is good to let the "other side" know some of the details, as long as you don't tell them how to copy it!

[ShadowCatcher]

9 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

I'd say in hardened concrete covered bunker/roof.

Generally so, the stealth surfaces are not quite bullet proof, so minimizing exposure to light and wind borne debris

helps keep them cleaner than putting them out in the open.  Also it allows for opening the skin to do maintenance without

worrying about satellite observers.  Everyone has known about this bird being in design and development for the last 7 years,

and also that it was a variant of the flying wing design.

 

It's occasionally okay to tell your opponents where you are going with things like this, it helps to concentrate their thoughts,

and might even have them looking in the wrong direction a little too much . . . 

 

It's a lovely flying machine - not a B-1, but it will do!

 

SC

 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

What makes you think it hasn't already flown?

There's this place called 'Area 51' 

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

3 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

What makes you think it hasn't already flown?

There's this place called 'Area 51' 

LG, it has not flown, take my word for it. I have worked on a ton of airplanes at plant 42. I helped set up the full assembly line there for the original stealth bomber, the B-2. The missing thing is engine run. Once the assembly is complete, the airplane starts preflight. One of the first things they HAVE TO DO is engine run to test for leaks, engine performance and fuel flow. I helped design the whole production area for the B-2 and the B-21 is using the same area, the area for engine run is outside for everyone to see. Once the engines start all everyone knows. Also they can't fly without this being done. Then they have to do taxi tests, both low and high speed. Checks brakes, landing gear and wheels. Too much left to do before they fly and it all has to be done outside.

[Eyesa Horg]

Some of you guys have some pretty cool jobs.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

9 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Some of you guys have some pretty cool jobs.

Worked in aerospace as an engineer and in management for 40 years. Apollo, Space Shuttle, B-1, B-2, F-i8, F-5, YF23 and a bunch of classified top secret stuff. Was  a great career, never bored and loved my work....can't ask for more!

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

2 hours ago, Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life said:

LG, it has not flown, take my word for it. I have worked on a ton of airplanes at plant 42. I helped set up the full assembly line there for the original stealth bomber, the B-2. The missing thing is engine run. Once the assembly is complete, the airplane starts preflight. One of the first things they HAVE TO DO is engine run to test for leaks, engine performance and fuel flow. I helped design the whole production area for the B-2 and the B-21 is using the same area, the area for engine run is outside for everyone to see. Once the engines start all everyone knows. Also they can't fly without this being done. Then they have to do taxi tests, both low and high speed. Checks brakes, landing gear and wheels. Too much left to do before they fly and it all has to be done outside.

Thank you for the information. I will let my information source know this!

Before we moved  we saw some of the drones leave 42 during the day to fly out to 240 east.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

On 12/5/2022 at 7:30 PM, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Cost doesn't necessarily mean it will not fail.

Right! But it won’t be a two dollar part that fails because it doesn’t have any two dollar parts.

[Sixgun Sheridan]

On 12/5/2022 at 3:41 PM, Cypress Sun said:

 

Unfortunately, I'll wager that the Chinese already knows all about it.

 

They're probably flight-testing a reverse-engineered copy as we speak.

[PowderRiverCowboy]

On 12/5/2022 at 6:14 PM, Diego Kid #4631 said:

Hey Abilene Slim. The B-21 will be stationed at Ellsworth AFB here in South Dakota. They've started prepping for it for some time now.

 

Yep and trying to make Ellsworth the new show place as PX add a assessment done  , and well thats as depressing as going to a PX in Iraq so needed But I have access so expect more pictures  

 wont see it till mid 2020's 
https://listen.sdpb.org/business-economics/2022-03-15/ellsworth-air-force-base-begins-construction-for-b-21-bomber-plane

 

Answering some of the hanger question yes new one and no not hardened 

Edited December 7, 2022 by PowerRiverCowboy