USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

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Greg
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by Greg »

JustinR wrote:The real question is why the USAF is wasting the money for very little improvement over the B-2. As Langenator said, they should be collaborating with NASA on building a SABRE engine bomber, something that would be transformational rather than a waste of resources.
Because, fundamentally, they don't know what to do. They really have no real idea where to go from here, so, like Hollywood, they're going with a sequel.
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Mike OTDP
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by Mike OTDP »

LRS-B is designed to a technology base about 30 years more advanced than the B-2. Though I agree that the USAF has probably overrated LO, undervalued performance. One good thing about the F-22 is that supercruise knocks missile engagement envelopes back considerably.

Of course, I would not take any artist's conception as 100% accurate at this time. Wait until we see hardware.
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MiddleAgedKen
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by MiddleAgedKen »

Langenator wrote:If traditional F-117/B-2/F-22/F-35 stealth loses effectiveness, you basically have three options:

1) Go in low and fast to reduce target acquisition times and use terrain masking. May also be used in conjunction with what used to be called 'Wild Weasels' to knock back defenses.
2) Go high and REALLY fast. I'm thinking SR-71/XB-70 mixed with B-2+.
3) Standoff with long range missiles of some sort.

Best I've been able to tell, the USAF seems to want to continue to dump most, if not all, of it's eggs into the stealthy basket, without much in the way of Plan B.
Second look at SLAM? (No, I'm not going to let this go. Why do you ask?) :mrgreen:
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Jericho941
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by Jericho941 »

Here, I'll throw you my tumblr nonsense.
USAF: We need a successor to the B-2
Northrop Grumman: we gotchu covered fam
Northrop Grumman: *writes B-2 on a whiteboard*
Northrop Grumman: *adds a 1*
USAF: FUND THIS IMMEDIATELY
Aesop
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by Aesop »

Mike OTDP wrote:Of course, I would not take any artist's conception as 100% accurate at this time. Wait until we see hardware.
Yeah, the change in reality from the "artist's conception F-19" to the reality of the F-117 always comes to mind.
"There are four types of homicide: felonious, accidental, justifiable, and praiseworthy." -Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
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randy
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by randy »

Aesop wrote:
Mike OTDP wrote:Of course, I would not take any artist's conception as 100% accurate at this time. Wait until we see hardware.
Yeah, the change in reality from the "artist's conception F-19" to the reality of the F-117 always comes to mind.
Then there was the ability of various spokes-critters to claim with absolute honesty that there was no such thing as an F-19 Stealth Fighter being developed. And no such aircraft had ever been deployed to various hot spots in the world years before the -117 was officially brought into the "grey" world. :|
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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slowpoke
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by slowpoke »

Greg wrote:
JustinR wrote:The real question is why the USAF is wasting the money for very little improvement over the B-2. As Langenator said, they should be collaborating with NASA on building a SABRE engine bomber, something that would be transformational rather than a waste of resources.
Because, fundamentally, they don't know what to do. They really have no real idea where to go from here, so, like Hollywood, they're going with a sequel.
Hey, heres an idea if they don't know what to do. Replace the fricken Minute Man 3 before it EOL's. Air force should court martial whoever thought of replacing the B2 when they have exactly jack shit to replace one third of our nuclear triad thats 4 years from end of life with no new production scheduled and no program to replace it. Then they could spin up a new warhead because 30 year old warheads dont instill confidence.
"Islam delenda est" Aesop
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randy
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by randy »

I think part of the reason for the delay in ICBM replacement is that there is a group in the 5-sided funny farm that thinks of the Nuclear Triad as "cold war thinking" and thinks that we can get by with SLBMs and cruise missiles, so having to deactivate the Minutemen due to aging out of components is a feature, not a bug.

Of course, the real stupidity in this area was the retirement of the newer Peacekeepers due to slavish adherence to an un-ratified treaty with a country that no longer exists.
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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slowpoke
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by slowpoke »

randy wrote:I think part of the reason for the delay in ICBM replacement is that there is a group in the 5-sided funny farm that thinks of the Nuclear Triad as "cold war thinking" and thinks that we can get by with SLBMs and cruise missiles, so having to deactivate the Minutemen due to aging out of components is a feature, not a bug.

Of course, the real stupidity in this area was the retirement of the newer Peacekeepers due to slavish adherence to an un-ratified treaty with a country that no longer exists.
You mean the nuclear cruise missiles we dont have anymore since we finished decomissioning all their warheads a couple years ago?
"Islam delenda est" Aesop
Cobar
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Re: USAF Unveils B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

Post by Cobar »

I guess they are getting rid of the minutemans by launching them at the marshal islands?
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