Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider (LRS-B)

[Whisperstream]

I left the B-2 CTF at South Base in Jan 1997 and the aprons were wide open, only the two older Quonset-style hangers (supply and GSE) were there at the other end, plus our two YF-23's behind the chain link fences. Quite a few new hangars now and you are probably right, some new toys lurking inside. The big main hangar could hold I think 5 B-2s plus one in the engine run dock.

I was with the Global Power Bombers CTF (sorry, I still think that's kind of a hokey name) at South Base in the several years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The B-1B and B-52H had been moved across to the Main Ramp and our sole B-2 lived in Hangar 160 (ERD B). Several years earlier, the three large bays of Hangar 151 had been taken over by detachments of the 53rd TEG and 9th OG for something spooky that no one talked about. According to articles in Aviation Week & Space Technology, this was the so-called "RQ-180" (apparently not the real designation). Yeah, I remember those old Quonset-style hangars at the east end. Back in the 1940s and early 1950s, they were used by Douglas Aircraft Company and the NACA for various X-plane programs.

 

[FighterJock]

Nobody really knows how long the B-21 weapons bay is sferrin, beyond comparing it with the B-2s which I think is the only way to go until Northrop release official data.

 

[paralay]

length 24 feet (7.3152 m), width 8 feet (2.4384 m)

 

[FighterJock]

Thanks for the info paralay.

 

[Josh_TN]

Aren't they enabling external carriage on the B-1B for larger weapons? Does anybody know how long the B-21s weapon bay is?

There is exact one LAM pylon to be shared across two test aircraft. I do not think there is any plan to equip the B-1 combat coded aircraft with it. B-1 retirement is likely 2031-32, so they will not be in service long enough to justify any major mods.

 

[mkellytx]

Aren't they enabling external carriage on the B-1B for larger weapons? Does anybody know how long the B-21s weapon bay is?

Not really. The test jet out of the 419th is not a fleet wide capability. Only the forward right pylons were reactivated, none of the others were reactivated. So far, the only pictures of Ghost Rider with the 5K bunker buster are on that pylon. Memory fades, but IIRC the pylons were never wired for -1760, only for Sniper.

Unless someone can find programing updates that say external carriage is a program of record, this is nothing more that a demonstration of capability or concept validation. My guess is that this is on the program office's wish list but is way down below the cut list. Given where the Bone is in its life cycle, they'd rather have spare parts than carry more bombs.

Boeing of course would like to sell something, but Boeing...