B-21 Raider

[Silver3ides]

Not long to go now for the live reveal @ 01.00 (UK time) Saturday Morning from Northrop Grummans Palmdale production facility

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chJlJgrvfBY

[Simpo Two]

B-21... why is the numbering going backwards? 17 - 24 - 29 - 52 etc... to name a few.

[16v_paddy]

Simpo Two said:

B-21... why is the numbering going backwards? 17 - 24 - 29 - 52 etc... to name a few.

Well it's technically going forward as it's the replacement for the B1 and the B2

[Simpo Two]

16v_paddy said:

Simpo Two said:

B-21... why is the numbering going backwards? 17 - 24 - 29 - 52 etc... to name a few.

Well it's technically going forward as it's the replacement for the B1 and the B2

Marketing, I expect. And 'B3' was too logical. Like there's no Aston Martin DB8 'cos they said people would think it had 8 cylinders... nobody complained about the 5-cylinder DB5!

[Evanivitch]

Simpo Two said:

B-21... why is the numbering going backwards? 17 - 24 - 29 - 52 etc... to name a few.

After the B1 and the B2 US military stealth technology rapidly improved, so much so that they can't remember where they left B3-B20. It's only now they've put an Air Tag in the B-21 that they've managed not to lose it.

[LotusOmega375D]

Thanks for the teaser, but I think I’m going to hang on for a test flight before putting down a deposit.

[ecsrobin]

A bargain at $2 billion a jet.

[ChemicalChaos]

Simpo Two said:

B-21... why is the numbering going backwards? 17 - 24 - 29 - 52 etc... to name a few.

Numbering in all the classes (B, F, A) is all over the place because they have been arbitrarily "reset" several times over the years. I can't remember the reason now I'm afraid but I did find out once in the past.

[dvs_dave]

What we got to see if it, front on, wasn’t too exciting. It basically looked like a tweaked B-2.

[ecsrobin]

dvs_dave said:

What we got to see if it, front on, wasn’t too exciting. It basically looked like a tweaked B-2.

Probably because that’s still the best design.

[IanH755]

This article from "The Drive: Warzone" has some good images - https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/this-is-the-...

It looks like the lovechild between a B-2 (design) and an F-35 (avionics) in a much smaller package, I just hope (as is always in these modern times) that enough can be bought to prevent this becoming another F-22, B-2, Zumwalt issue of "Great idea but nowhere near enough bought, making each one hugely expensive and irreplaceable in a peer war".

[Muddle238]

LotusOmega375D said:

Thanks for the teaser, but I think I’m going to hang on for a test flight before putting down a deposit.

No doubt in keeping with most new models nowadays, it’ll only be available in some shade of grey.

I’d be interested if I could have it in British Racing Green with a cream leather interior.

[S600BSB]

Looks quite similar to a B-2.

[bitchstewie]

Good article here.

This Is The B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber (Updated)

[sherman]

Could the numbering just be because of prototypes that never officially left Area 51 for example?

[Tony1963]

For comparison

[Tango13]

Tony1963 said:

For comparison

Interesting... The original design for the B-2 lacked the trailing edge serrations and was much closer to the B-21 in plan view.

[Petrus1983]

Stunning.

My biggest issue with it is the only way for them to justify the cost is for finding a way to use them.

[shouldbworking]

The whole nuclear triad thing doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, submarines have their deficiencies, but compared to land or air options they are far better, so how do you justify the cost for this?

[Evanivitch]

shouldbworking said:

The whole nuclear triad thing doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, submarines have their deficiencies, but compared to land or air options they are far better, so how do you justify the cost for this?

Because it also has a non-nuclear strike capability that many nations lack the ability of. Like the UK has no strategic strike capability. At best we'd launch a bunch of tomahawks from a submarine and hope a few make it through a capable air defence system.