F-22Raptor
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B-21s skin looks so CLEAN. She’s a beauty
B-21 Bomber unveiling tonight
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F-22Raptor
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-The B-21 is an imposing, futuristic-looking machine as expected. While its roots emanate directly from the B-2, it is hugely apparent, this aircraft takes low observables (LO; stealth technology) to another level.
-The aircraft appears notably smaller than the B-2 when viewed as a whole head-on. This is not surprising, we knew it would be a smaller flying wing design and one that would sacrifice some weapons payload.
-A great indicator of this is its landing gear. It is a single truck design instead of the tandem dual truck design (two tires on each main gear instead of four) on the larger, heavier B-2.
-The aircraft’s nose wheel door is different from B-2’s in that it doesn’t feature a central, forward door, instead all associated doors open the the side. Nor do they have serrated edges like the B-2’s.
-The windscreen that looked so puzzling in renderings is a bit more normal looking in reality. In fact, it is remarkably small with visibility very much optimized for viewing upward and forward. This makes sense for aerial refueling procedures. Beyond that, the visibility looks very poor out of the aircraft. The side small windows, which are curved as in the rendering, look as we originally posited, to likely be a low-observable compromise, with their shape minimizing the aspects that they can be seen by radar, especially from below. It will be interesting to learn more about how this feature came to be and just how far having no windows at all was pushed during the B-21’s design. There were serious discussions of the B-2 having no windows to maximize LO even back in the 1980s when issues with the windscreen and its inner tintable (for sudden nuclear blasts) removable pane were prevalent.
-The aircraft is indeed a very light gray color! This is critical. As we noted many times before, the B-21’s very low observable capabilities and its far broader, more eclectic mission set, would likely see it be put to use during the day. These colors point exactly to that. This may change as the aircraft matures, but at this time, it looks as if the era of locking stealth bomber operation into the dark of night will soon be over. You can see a thread I did on this just earlier today below.
-Broadband, very low observable design cues are abundantly visible. The entire aircraft, as much as we can see of it, is incredibly smoothly blended. Individual features and elevation changes are minimized totally. The inlets, which were a major challenge during the aircraft’s development process, are remarkable. They appear blended seamlessly deep into the flying-wing design, minimizing line-of-sight to them and the disruption to the aircraft’s flowing, almost shell-like very low-observable airframe. In close-ups, an internal duct support pillar or air splitter can be barely seen. Compared to the B-2, this is a revelation.
-No apertures for missionized sensors, air data sensors, or communications arrays can be seen anywhere. In fact, no heavy panel seams are seen at all. Some taped seams are seen around the cockpit windows and in a few other areas in close-up photos, but these are minimal really. New material sciences, construction, and design capabilities mean that very large composite components can be built and assembled, minimizing the number of airframe components and thus the need for many joints and seams. This is paired with major advances in LO coating and structures to drastically reduce the high maintenance costs and long downtimes associated with low observable aircraft. Fewer seams and panels to deal with would be part of this solution. Load bearing sensors, which are part of the airframe themselves, could (and likely area) part of the B-21’s revelatory design.
-There is no sharp ‘beak’ like on the B-2. Instead, this aircraft appears to have, as we have posited before, more of a ‘duckbill’ straight shelf along its leading edge to maximize LO qualities.
-We are only getting the frontal aspect here. There is so much more of the story to tell. We still don’t know exactly what the B-21’s planform really looks like, although it is very likely to resemble what we already know and it harkens back to the early B-2/ATB designs (read more about that and the B-21’s potential ability to fly higher here). The exhausts, arguably the most sensitive part of an LO design, are also a total mystery. Also, this is just the first airframe and we are likely to see additional changes, although minor in nature, to its features as it progresses towards first flight. But Northrop Grumman has stressed heavily that this aircraft is groundbreakingly production representative, so just how much things could change is unknown. And we have no idea what systems, especially missionized ones, are even installed on this aircraft.
www.thedrive.com
Early assessment of the B-21
-The aircraft appears notably smaller than the B-2 when viewed as a whole head-on. This is not surprising, we knew it would be a smaller flying wing design and one that would sacrifice some weapons payload.
-A great indicator of this is its landing gear. It is a single truck design instead of the tandem dual truck design (two tires on each main gear instead of four) on the larger, heavier B-2.
-The aircraft’s nose wheel door is different from B-2’s in that it doesn’t feature a central, forward door, instead all associated doors open the the side. Nor do they have serrated edges like the B-2’s.
-The windscreen that looked so puzzling in renderings is a bit more normal looking in reality. In fact, it is remarkably small with visibility very much optimized for viewing upward and forward. This makes sense for aerial refueling procedures. Beyond that, the visibility looks very poor out of the aircraft. The side small windows, which are curved as in the rendering, look as we originally posited, to likely be a low-observable compromise, with their shape minimizing the aspects that they can be seen by radar, especially from below. It will be interesting to learn more about how this feature came to be and just how far having no windows at all was pushed during the B-21’s design. There were serious discussions of the B-2 having no windows to maximize LO even back in the 1980s when issues with the windscreen and its inner tintable (for sudden nuclear blasts) removable pane were prevalent.
-The aircraft is indeed a very light gray color! This is critical. As we noted many times before, the B-21’s very low observable capabilities and its far broader, more eclectic mission set, would likely see it be put to use during the day. These colors point exactly to that. This may change as the aircraft matures, but at this time, it looks as if the era of locking stealth bomber operation into the dark of night will soon be over. You can see a thread I did on this just earlier today below.
-Broadband, very low observable design cues are abundantly visible. The entire aircraft, as much as we can see of it, is incredibly smoothly blended. Individual features and elevation changes are minimized totally. The inlets, which were a major challenge during the aircraft’s development process, are remarkable. They appear blended seamlessly deep into the flying-wing design, minimizing line-of-sight to them and the disruption to the aircraft’s flowing, almost shell-like very low-observable airframe. In close-ups, an internal duct support pillar or air splitter can be barely seen. Compared to the B-2, this is a revelation.
-No apertures for missionized sensors, air data sensors, or communications arrays can be seen anywhere. In fact, no heavy panel seams are seen at all. Some taped seams are seen around the cockpit windows and in a few other areas in close-up photos, but these are minimal really. New material sciences, construction, and design capabilities mean that very large composite components can be built and assembled, minimizing the number of airframe components and thus the need for many joints and seams. This is paired with major advances in LO coating and structures to drastically reduce the high maintenance costs and long downtimes associated with low observable aircraft. Fewer seams and panels to deal with would be part of this solution. Load bearing sensors, which are part of the airframe themselves, could (and likely area) part of the B-21’s revelatory design.
-There is no sharp ‘beak’ like on the B-2. Instead, this aircraft appears to have, as we have posited before, more of a ‘duckbill’ straight shelf along its leading edge to maximize LO qualities.
-We are only getting the frontal aspect here. There is so much more of the story to tell. We still don’t know exactly what the B-21’s planform really looks like, although it is very likely to resemble what we already know and it harkens back to the early B-2/ATB designs (read more about that and the B-21’s potential ability to fly higher here). The exhausts, arguably the most sensitive part of an LO design, are also a total mystery. Also, this is just the first airframe and we are likely to see additional changes, although minor in nature, to its features as it progresses towards first flight. But Northrop Grumman has stressed heavily that this aircraft is groundbreakingly production representative, so just how much things could change is unknown. And we have no idea what systems, especially missionized ones, are even installed on this aircraft.
This Is The B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber (Updated)
The B-21 isn't just America's next stealth bomber, it's the most advanced aircraft ever built and we're finally allowed to see it.
www.thedrive.com
Early assessment of the B-21
F-22Raptor
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Northrop Grumman CEO stated they experimented with thousands of designs in a digital environment before settling on this one.
Maula Jatt
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dk about China but Russia isn't catching up to this anytime soon lol
villageidiot
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probably that this will be used to bomb more brown people.
well, obviously he's exaggerating. brown people aren't worth killing with such advanced technology.
there tons of ways to do that. e.g. just support corrupt people in brown countries and they'll kill off hundreds of thousands and incapacitate hundreds of millions. for virtually no cost to you.
B-21 bombers don't discriminate. You can ask the Serbs. They would disagree with that comment about being Brown and getting bombed.
The wings and the outer fuselage are reduced compared to the B-2. IMO I believe they kept the same size bomb bays while shrinking the rest. Notice how fat it looks vertically?
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FuturePAF
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It’s back lit, so we can see any sensor panels, through which the LPI AESA radar would be housed, but yes, it’s look clean. She is truely a beauty.
The H-20 team is probably analysis it as we speak to see how they can tweak their design to match its capabilities. The H-20 team will probably delay their reveal until they have a comparable platform to show.
It’s like the old days when the East and the west would put out competitions designs.
They barely rolled it out of the hanger. You can bet their where spy satellites (EO as well as radar) from every county in the world trying to do a pass over Palmdale to try to catch a glimpse of the signatures of this bird. Any info on which satellites that passed over while this thing was revealed.B-21 bombers don't discriminate. You can ask the Serbs. They would disagree with that comment about being Brown and getting bombed.
The wings and the outer fuselage are reduced compared to the B-2. IMO I believe they kept the same size bomb bays while shrinking the rest. Notice how fat it looks vertically?
It could be the few minutes this was delayed to be rolled out was to let a Chinese satellite complete its fly over and only keep it out long enough before another one flew over.
Waiting to see if Mazar has any shots in the coming days.
The covers of the next issues of popular mechanics are gonna be real sick.
The windows look similar to the dark star from the latest top gun movie.
Edwards Air Force Base on Instagram: "Yes, the rumors were TRUE! 📝 The Lockheed Martin Darkstar IS at Edwards and will have its world debut at the 2022 @avairshow! Designed to showcase the future, it was only right local #STEM students received th
Edwards Air Force Base shared a post on Instagram: "Yes, the rumors were TRUE! 📝 The Lockheed Martin Darkstar IS at Edwards and will have its world debut at the 2022 @avairshow! Designed to showcase the future, it was only right local #STEM students received the first look! The Darkstar...
www.instagram.com
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Baburfromsarmarkand
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Thats where military budget should go - not DHA. We cant export DHA.
Those brown babies should use that oil money to create defences lol. I dont see china crying.
FuturePAF
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It’s revolutionary because of the advancement in manufacturing, testing, and how far sensors have come, but in a way it’s still similar to the work done leading up to the B-2 and a few years up to it. All within the 20th century. The years wasted during the GWOT slowed down technologically innovation for the near peer mission, except probably in secure datalinks and the afore mentioned improvements, and has left room for China to catch-up. By 2030, tops, the PLAAF will probably have something similar flying.-The B-21 is an imposing, futuristic-looking machine as expected. While its roots emanate directly from the B-2, it is hugely apparent, this aircraft takes low observables (LO; stealth technology) to another level.
-The aircraft appears notably smaller than the B-2 when viewed as a whole head-on. This is not surprising, we knew it would be a smaller flying wing design and one that would sacrifice some weapons payload.
-A great indicator of this is its landing gear. It is a single truck design instead of the tandem dual truck design (two tires on each main gear instead of four) on the larger, heavier B-2.
-The aircraft’s nose wheel door is different from B-2’s in that it doesn’t feature a central, forward door, instead all associated doors open the the side. Nor do they have serrated edges like the B-2’s.
-The windscreen that looked so puzzling in renderings is a bit more normal looking in reality. In fact, it is remarkably small with visibility very much optimized for viewing upward and forward. This makes sense for aerial refueling procedures. Beyond that, the visibility looks very poor out of the aircraft. The side small windows, which are curved as in the rendering, look as we originally posited, to likely be a low-observable compromise, with their shape minimizing the aspects that they can be seen by radar, especially from below. It will be interesting to learn more about how this feature came to be and just how far having no windows at all was pushed during the B-21’s design. There were serious discussions of the B-2 having no windows to maximize LO even back in the 1980s when issues with the windscreen and its inner tintable (for sudden nuclear blasts) removable pane were prevalent.
-The aircraft is indeed a very light gray color! This is critical. As we noted many times before, the B-21’s very low observable capabilities and its far broader, more eclectic mission set, would likely see it be put to use during the day. These colors point exactly to that. This may change as the aircraft matures, but at this time, it looks as if the era of locking stealth bomber operation into the dark of night will soon be over. You can see a thread I did on this just earlier today below.
-Broadband, very low observable design cues are abundantly visible. The entire aircraft, as much as we can see of it, is incredibly smoothly blended. Individual features and elevation changes are minimized totally. The inlets, which were a major challenge during the aircraft’s development process, are remarkable. They appear blended seamlessly deep into the flying-wing design, minimizing line-of-sight to them and the disruption to the aircraft’s flowing, almost shell-like very low-observable airframe. In close-ups, an internal duct support pillar or air splitter can be barely seen. Compared to the B-2, this is a revelation.
-No apertures for missionized sensors, air data sensors, or communications arrays can be seen anywhere. In fact, no heavy panel seams are seen at all. Some taped seams are seen around the cockpit windows and in a few other areas in close-up photos, but these are minimal really. New material sciences, construction, and design capabilities mean that very large composite components can be built and assembled, minimizing the number of airframe components and thus the need for many joints and seams. This is paired with major advances in LO coating and structures to drastically reduce the high maintenance costs and long downtimes associated with low observable aircraft. Fewer seams and panels to deal with would be part of this solution. Load bearing sensors, which are part of the airframe themselves, could (and likely area) part of the B-21’s revelatory design.
-There is no sharp ‘beak’ like on the B-2. Instead, this aircraft appears to have, as we have posited before, more of a ‘duckbill’ straight shelf along its leading edge to maximize LO qualities.
-We are only getting the frontal aspect here. There is so much more of the story to tell. We still don’t know exactly what the B-21’s planform really looks like, although it is very likely to resemble what we already know and it harkens back to the early B-2/ATB designs (read more about that and the B-21’s potential ability to fly higher here). The exhausts, arguably the most sensitive part of an LO design, are also a total mystery. Also, this is just the first airframe and we are likely to see additional changes, although minor in nature, to its features as it progresses towards first flight. But Northrop Grumman has stressed heavily that this aircraft is groundbreakingly production representative, so just how much things could change is unknown. And we have no idea what systems, especially missionized ones, are even installed on this aircraft.
This Is The B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber (Updated)
The B-21 isn't just America's next stealth bomber, it's the most advanced aircraft ever built and we're finally allowed to see it.
Early assessment of the B-21
F-22Raptor
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The likelihood China can develop a bomber as capable as B-21 anytime soon is next to none. The US has 50 years of experience working on stealth aircraft and deploying them in combat.
The US is decades ahead in aerospace capability.
FuturePAF
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Come on man. Don’t underestimate them. They know this is directs at them, and they are gonna try to get as close as possible.
Looking at the B-21, do you notice the lack of serrated edges on the panels, it’s because of improvements in manufacturing to make large single piece panels that improve stealth. Chinese will do what ever R&D (and other stuff) they can to improve their manufacturing.
Some Chinese analysis came out. See what they think:
Also, the B-21 maybe exported, Similar to the F-35. So like the baked in mat stealth of the F-35, it will be for use in standard bases and with regular squadrons. The sub-systems and weapons will be of different levels, depending on the user; US vs Partner air forces. I’m expecting Israel to get it for the Iran mission.
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