Almost certainly auxiliary air inlets, then.And It looks like the B-21 has these panels /doors on both sides:
B-2 still has two APUs.Only one APU left on production B-2s as I know.
APU doesn't need inlet or exhaust door of such a coffee table size I think. Combining APU inlet with auxillary engine one would be good in terms of LO ...but who knows.
go back a pageFound this on Reddit. Link provided to original post: View: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpecialAccess/comments/17gci7t/the_b21_on_the_runway_for_taxi_tests/
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Since it seems the APU door is also present on the other wing, we might well have a main APU doubled by a standby one... Hence two APU as per B-2.B-2 still has two APUs.
Looked like another aircraft tail in the background though.I doubt he's worrying, just saying it could be aux inlet door open.
Could be?Looked like another aircraft tail in the background though.
That looks like the vertical tail of another aircraft in the distance beyond the B-21.
BondoI doubt he's worrying, just saying it could be aux inlet door open.
Yeah, I didn't see they were on both sides until that shot above. At first I thought they might be retractable aerials, but when I went to the site and saw them in the larger images, they do seem like the doors for the aux. intakes.You can clearly see that the fins/flaps/doors/whatever seen on the upper surface exist on both sides and are not from an object in the background.
Flaps or luneburg lens system?You can clearly see that the fins/flaps/doors/whatever seen on the upper surface exist on both sides and are not from an object in the background.
And somewhat non-aligned if the AvLeak art is to be relied upon. *shrug* To early to tell. By January, maybe. 2027. 8-PInner flapperons are suspiciouscly short chord.
Auxiliary inlets are usually needed for high power / low speed operation where there is not enough forward speed for the regular inlets to feed sufficient undistorted airflow to the engines. They are likely open for takeoff and landing (for go around power application), and for high power ground runs. Leaving them open whenever the engines are running and landing gear down would simplify the door mechanization.Those left and right hand doors seem to be aux inlet doors and are not used in flight, just for engine start, ground ops and taxi. Probably not required for take off or approach/landing (like the B-2 doors).
USAF has been tight lipped about anything to do with scale or timing of production. About all I've seen them say is that they are waiting for first flight before they sign the LRIP. I think they fear anything that could be seen as a major setback or bad program management after the F-35 and cancelation of NGB. They are putting out cautious statements with low expectations. I'm hoping things start to accelerate once flight testing is underway. I think USAF could make a good case to Congress for more money to accelerate production if NG can prove they have a solid working product.Good news for the B-21 program entering low-rate production, I wonder when it will enter full scale production?
It's also possible that the plane did already fly and we are presented here just a cover story. Correct me if I am wrong, but 2/3 months for a first flight is quite short for a bomber
100% expect that.B-21 has not flown yet. B-2 first flight delay was also due to a sinking landing gear in the soft asphalt in July summer heat. They are being methodical and cautious which is the right thing to do. The aircraft will probably follow the B-2 first flight profile, take-off Plant 42, buzz around then land at the B-21 CTF at EAFB.
That seems unlikely. Maybe a (subscale) prototype if one ever existed. The B-2 didn't have a (known) prototype either, so seems not likely.It's also possible that the plane did already fly and we are presented here just a cover story. Correct me if I am wrong, but 2/3 months for a first flight is quite short for a bomber
That seems unlikely. Maybe a (subscale) prototype if one ever existed. The B-2 didn't have a (known) prototype either, so seems not likely.
“It's going to add to the airborne, air-launched, air-delivered nuclear deterrence vision. Because it's so capable, it can get in and get out. We know that it can penetrate the defenses — there's no doubt about it," Cain said.
"And of course, the bad guys know that it can penetrate the defenses, too. So that's the deterrence aspect of it,” he said.
“I’m hoping and thinking that the test flight is not going to be a big deal. My take is, the simulation and the use of computers in the simulation environment has really just taken away all so much of the threat to the airplane’s capabilities," he said.
“I'm just sure we're going to have a very successful test,” Cain said.
NGC would leverage any work from the "RQ-180" which was started in the 2006-2007 timeframe. I am convinced the two programs share common design elements, would make sense. Also, it looks like the B-21 team is following the B-2 model to the tee from building on production tooling to the flight test program. No subscale demonstrator required.I don't believe Northrop Grumman fielded a prototype/demonstrator for what ultimately became the B-21 Raider. I think the company leaned heavily on its manufacturing and development experience with the RQ-180 when they went after the new bomber contract. Northrop Grumman likely beat the Boeing/Lockheed Martin team because NG already had proven, mature technology.
Some years ago, it was rumored that the Boeing–Lockheed Martin team produced a government-funded Next-Generation Long-Range
Strike Demonstrator (NGLRS‑D) for flight testing.
Why would NG need a subscale demontrator anyway when they have all the data from the B-2 program, it would just cost money to build a demonstrator. And I think that would be the last thing that NG would be worried about.
For NGB... which was cancelled for LRS-BNorthrop Grumman appears to have landed classified next-gen bomber prototype | Aviation Week Network
Northrop Grumman received contracts totaling more than $2.5 billion for secret aircraft programs in the first quarter of 2008, strongly supporting reports and indications that the company has won a U.S. Air Force contract to build a prototype for the Next Generation Bomber (NGB) program...aviationweek.com