Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider (LRS-B)

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I really wanted it to be 150 to 200 B-21s Forest Green but it looks like it is going to be just 100 B-21s.
 
Forest Green said:
Anyone know how many they plan on building? 100 it seems, answered my own question.
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It's far too soon to guess what the final production numbers will be. We don't buy them all at once, after all. The program of record is 100 or so, but those numbers are always subject to change.

There are definitely Air Force leaders hoping for more, eventually. The first challenge will be to deliver the first couple of batches on time and budget. Then it becomes possible to credibly ask for more.
 
I would think that the Air Force leaders that are wanting more B-21s should say so and be more vocal about it.
 
Tool_Shed_Toker said:
Any estimates on IOC?
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Probably a couple years from now. Gotta get the plane through the whole flight test scheme including weapons quals, then build enough planes for the training squadron, then enough for the first operational squadron to have some.
 
So how many B-21s would enter an active Bomber Wing? Considering the fact that they will have to spread them out to training and testing squadrons?
 
TomS said:
It's far too soon to guess what the final production numbers will be. We don't buy them all at once, after all. The program of record is 100 or so, but those numbers are always subject to change.

There are definitely Air Force leaders hoping for more, eventually. The first challenge will be to deliver the first couple of batches on time and budget. Then it becomes possible to credibly ask for more.
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And remember when there would be 100 B-2s built? Yeah, right.

Wish (fantasize) the B-21 could be the B-47 of our time - lots of them....

Enjoy the Day! Mark
 
Mark Nankivil said:
And remember when there would be 100 B-2s built? Yeah, right.

Wish (fantasize) the B-21 could be the B-47 of our time - lots of them....

Enjoy the Day! Mark
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132. (And 244 B-1As and 750 F-22s. . .) On the other hand there were only going to be 650 F-16s and 729 F-15s but then we hadn't all gathered around the tree to sing Kumbaya yet.
 
I too want to see the B-21 being the modern equivalent of the B-47, we can only dream.
 
FighterJock said:
So how many B-21s would enter an active Bomber Wing? Considering the fact that they will have to spread them out to training and testing squadrons?
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The B-2 force is only twenty aircraft, with two of those damaged and potentially never returning to service. That still constitutes a wing, though I think it has fewer machines than a typical B-1 or B-52 wing by wide margin. But certainly twenty aircraft, including the four EMDs currently under construction, would likely create an initial capability.
 
Josh_TN said:
The B-2 force is only twenty aircraft, with two of those damaged and potentially never returning to service. That still constitutes a wing, though I think it has fewer machines than a typical B-1 or B-52 wing by wide margin. But certainly twenty aircraft, including the four EMDs currently under construction, would likely create an initial capability.
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I think the B-2 force at IOC was only 15 aircraft; the test aircraft were only rolled into the active force after IOC. I think that was 2 operational squadrons and the combat training squadron.
 
It's interesting that the B-21 has already flown a number of flights from the EAFB CTF but there are no images or videos of these flights subsequent to the first flight. I know any images or videos would make to onto this site or on YouTube.
 
FighterJock said:
I would think that the Air Force leaders that are wanting more B-21s should say so and be more vocal about it.
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I wouldn't. There are things that are easier to ask once the capability is proven.

Mark Nankivil said:
And remember when there would be 100 B-2s built? Yeah, right.
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There would have been, but the cold war ended. There's a new one going on.
 
It's looking like China is preparing to have the ability to invade Taiwan by 2027, coincidentally. Is the B-21 IOC date chosen to align with this? Or did China chose 2027 in order to sneak in a war before the B-21 program fully spools up and negate their present advantages?
 
Hydroman said:
It's interesting that the B-21 has already flown a number of flights from the EAFB CTF but there are no images or videos of these flights subsequent to the first flight. I know any images or videos would make to onto this site or on YouTube.
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In the 21st century true stealth is keeping your aircraft off social media.
 
FighterJock said:
So how many B-21s would enter an active Bomber Wing? Considering the fact that they will have to spread them out to training and testing squadrons?
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I'm guessing 8 ish per squadron, maybe 10 if the T&E squadron is less than a combat squadron. And typically 3 squadrons per wing.
 
skyblue said:
It's looking like China is preparing to have the ability to invade Taiwan by 2027, coincidentally. Is the B-21 IOC date chosen to align with this? Or did China chose 2027 in order to sneak in a war before the B-21 program fully spools up and negate their present advantages?
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The 2027 date is often referred to as the “Davidson window” after the admiral of that name testified before Congress that he thought the PRC might be a military threat “in the next six years” in 2021. It also is the centennial anniversary of the founding of the PLA, and it is reported that Xi wants the PLA able to retake Taiwan by this point. But it is important to note these are arbitrary dates. Any conflict would likely take the actual conditions on the ground into account, and IMO would attempt to take advantage of a perceived US political or military weakness.

The B-21 program schedule is probably more or less as soon as possible. It was a rapid development office project and was explicitly limited to mature technologies to de-risk the program.
 
Defense Updates has just released a video about the B-21A entering LRIP:


A senior Pentagon official has revealed that the United States Air Force (USAF) has officially commenced the production of the B-21 Raider, marking a significant milestone. This development follows the successful maiden flight of the stealth bomber a little over two months ago, highlighting the U.S. Air Force's accelerated production strategy for this aircraft.
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Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment William LaPlante said in a statement,“Production of the B-21 ‘Raider’ stealth bomber is moving forward. This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team’s mature plans for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-21s at a low rate,”
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He added, “One of the key attributes of this program has been designing for production from the start — and at scale — to provide a credible deterrent to adversaries. If you don’t produce and field to warfighters at scale, the capability doesn’t really matter”
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Additional information regarding the contract award value and delivery dates is not currently accessible. I
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n this video, Defense Updates how B-21 Raider entering production gives a massive edge to the U.S. military ?
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That's rather quick.

And Sandboxx has a video about this too:


The US Air Force and Northrop Grumman have now confirmed that the B-21 Raider has entered low-rate initial production just two months or so after the platform's first test flight. And what may be even crazier... the program appears to be on budget. Let's talk about what this means for the Raider program, and how we got here.
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Roll-out challenge coin
 

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If the B-21 uses an improved version of the F135 for propulsion, it can provide approximately 29 tons of thrust. In comparison with the B-2A, it seems feasible to carry two MOPs.
 

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