30 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial

New USAF Materials Hint At High-Altitude Role For B-21

Steve Trimble

The design of the Northrop Grumman B-21's trailing edge has led to speculation about a high-altitude role for the secretive stealth bomber, and new U.S. Air Force statements appear to confirm that analysis.

As the U.S. Air Force enters a legally required environmental impact review process for basing the new bomber, service officials disclosed a few new details about the design on large poster boards displayed at public meetings since February. The posters are now available on B21EIS.com, a clearinghouse web site set up by the Air Force to share data during the year-long process to complete the final environmental impact statement.

“The B-21 is not expected to use low altitude training routes,” the Air Force poster says.

The B-2 was originally conceived as a high-altitude bomber, but a last-minute requirements change during the development phase forced Northrop Grumman to redesign the bomber for a low-altitude mission. As a result, the trailing edge was transformed from a simple W-shape to the sawtooth design seen today. The B-2, like the preceding B-52 and B-1B fleets, need low-altitude training routes.

The renderings of the B-21 released by the Air Force so far reveal a trailing edge that resembles the original, high-altitude design for the B-2. The Air Force has never confirmed operational details about the future stealth bomber.

Another comment on the Air Force's poster provides the first official description of the B-21's acoustic signature, as well as the performance of the engines.

“The B-21 engine noise is expected to be quieter than the B-1B and about the same or quieter than the B-2,” the poster says.

Previously, the only detail released by the Air Force about the B-21's engines is that Pratt & Whitney is named as one of seven of Northrop's suppliers. The poster data appears to confirm expectations that the B-21 would use a non-afterburning engine, like the similarly subsonic, flying wing-shaped, B-2. The supersonic B-1B is powered by afterburning engines.

The Air Force has selected Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakora as the site for the first B-21 operational squadron, followed by Dyess AFB in Texas and Whiteman AFB, Missouri. The environmental impact review is evaluating Ellsworth and Dyess for the main operating beddown 1 location.

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/new-usaf-materials-hint-high-altitude-role-b-21

Sur le même sujet

  • 14 companies will compete for a share of this $7.5 billion DISA contract

    18 juin 2018 | International, C4ISR

    14 companies will compete for a share of this $7.5 billion DISA contract

    Mark Pomerleau The Defense Systems Information Agency will allow 14 large corporations to compete for IT business worth as much as $7.5 billion over the next decade. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is for the Systems Engineering Technology and Innovation (SETI) program. The $7.5 billion, unrestricted pool contract seeks to streamline critical engineering expertise to research, design, develop, integrate, and optimize Department of Defense information technology capabilities, systems, and solutions, the agency said. DISA said it the program is “designed for current and future mission requirements, next-generation technological advancements, and disruptive innovation that looks to create paradigm shifts in the ways warfighters interact with DOD's information technology.” The companies that can win task orders include: AASKI Technology, Inc., Accenture Federal Services, BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Deloitte Consulting, LLP, Peraton, Inc. (formerly Harris Corp.), IBM, KeyW Corp., Leidos Innovations Corp., Linquest Corp., NES Associates, LLC, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Parsons Government Services, Inc., and Vencore, Inc. Thirty-five companies had bid for the work, the agency said. According to former DISA director, Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn, SETI will provide “an overarching approach for fulfilling requirements for developmental IT and engineering support services across the department.” DISA said it expects to award a separate, small business pool in the fourth quarter fiscal 2018 https://www.c4isrnet.com/disa/2018/06/15/14-companies-will-compete-for-a-share-of-this-75-billion-disa-contract/

  • US may require electronic warfare defenses for air, sealift operations

    17 octobre 2022 | International, C4ISR

    US may require electronic warfare defenses for air, sealift operations

    The government may require commercial planes and ships conducting military operations to carry tech that lets them navigate even amid attempts to jam them.

  • Major order for ammunition: NATO customer orders artillery ammunition from Rheinmetall – worth almost €300m

    27 mai 2024 | International, Terrestre

    Major order for ammunition: NATO customer orders artillery ammunition from Rheinmetall – worth almost €300m

    The total gross value of the orders booked in the second quarter of 2024 amounts to almost €300 million

Toutes les nouvelles