The Chinee will have a copy out in two weeks. Iran, 3 weeks.

I thought the same thing.

The term 'cloud' is meaningless in this context. It's no more or less vulnerable than any other computerized technology. It's more dependent on the underlying security architecture, how it's managed, monitoring, and the access controls. This isn't like the the cloud storage you use for your photos or online storage.

Do you honestly think the DoD or the USAF would use anything 'incredibly vulnerable' on a nuclear capable bomber? Or that a Mac with a USB port can 'hack' into it?

m

Thank you.
First thing I thought of.

Looks, saucery.

Basically a pot-bellied B2, underwhelming. Maybe it's a real performer, but I think the B2 is sexier. Will this one at least be supersonic?

The cloud is just somebody else's computer and in this case the usaf owns both.

Why would it be supersonic?

Styling is a part of all design processes for aircraft, even stealthy ones, at least according to the guy who was the Chief Engineer of NGCs YF-23 program. But, there probably is a more likely/practical reason for the canopy windows to look the way they do in this case.

Attached File

I get it’s not the ICloud. I understand things like JEDI and strict military requirements.

I also understand the current administration would sell us out in a heartbeat and there’s nothing truly secure, even isolated systems.

Or, perhaps the "cloud" being referred to is on-board? Or, refers to the logistics and maintenance side?

Dyess is supposed to be the main training base for it.

Maybe if the YF-23 program had spent less time on styling and more on demonstrating technical maturity, it would have beaten the F-22.

Those things all absolutely play a factor.

But I guarantee industrial design is part of their process. Just how much, I don't know.

Requirements, styling, price. Choose two.

YF-23 chief engineer: I choose style and price baby! Let's gooo

Yeah the military couldn’t or didn’t want to win against goat farmers.

when does Ukraine get one for Christmas?

That's one of dozens of possible definitions of 'cloud'. Certainly, it can be 'someone else's computers'. It can also be your own computers, at your own site. Or at a remote site - or sites. It can be dedicated hardware, shared, virtualized, containerized, or even just small bits of code.

m

Fit that kinda dough, we could a built a lotta modernized BUFFS…

Ellsworth, Whiteman and Dyess.

And done what with them, died?

I laughed a little when SecDef was telling the story of the Doolittle Raiders and said they took off to "bomb targets in distant lands" or something like that. Now that Japan is an ally, we can't be saying we bombed Tokyo.

Sort of defeats the purpose

Have you seen the price to put new engines on the B-52? A modernized one would cost a lot more than a B-21. Super ignorant take.

According to him, it was awarded because of industrial base considerations as their prototype was sufficiently mature. So, in fact, it did beat the YF-22 but that didn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

Attached File

BUFFs need to:
Attached File

Could we really though?

YF-22 won because it was more maneuverable and Northrop had the B2 stink still on them.

The semblance to the B2 that a lot of people are shitting on means to me that the B2 is still actually stealthy and this is a more economical version with updated lines is actually a very smart move that can be produced in numbers.

Numbers and actual capability are actually major deterrence. China and Russia both know they aren't producing anything close to the F22 F35 B2 B21 level. The days of shooting down a U2 are long gone.

Open Architecture refers to the plane's operating system. The computer(s) and networks that operate the flight controls, communications equipment, weapons, and sensor capabilities.

Yep. This looks like one of the few military programs that might come in under budget. It would be quite the accomplishment if it does.

Uh ... when was the B-2 declared not stealthy?

Probably just turns into a Frisbee

Industrial designers stylized the eyelashes for manufacturability. It's an anime emo bomber.

Sad plane is sad

While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once you get inside, the similarities stop, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop, which is building the bomber.

'The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21,' Warden said.

Northrop beat out a team comprised of Boeing and Lockheed Martin when it won the 2015 contract to make the bomber, alongside suppliers including engine maker Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, BAE Systems and Spirit Aerosystems.

The rollout at Northrop's Plant 42 in Palmdale provided the first photographs of the new bomber. So far, only artist renderings have been published.

Six of the planes, which is to have its first flight in mid-2023, are in various stages of assembly. More than 8,000 people from Northrop Grumman, industry partners and the Air Force work on the program today which consists of more than 400 suppliers in 40 states.

THE B-21'S NEWEST FEATURES FOR MODERN WARFARE 

The B-21's features groundbreaking stealth technology built on top of more than three decades and six generations of US bomber innovation. 

Northrop boasts that the new aircraft will included advance materials that will greatly reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures, making it virtually undetectable.  

The bomber's stealth tech is expected to counteract even the latest Russian and Chinese surface-to-air missiles, something '90 percent of the nation's current bomber fleet is incapable of doing,' the company said. 

The B-21 will also include a 'digital bomb bay', which will allow the aircraft to integrate new weapons faster than ever before. It ensures that the bomber can be readily and affordably upgraded.  








A FULLY REMOTE STEALTH BOMBER 

Unlike its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, the B-21 Raider is expected to allow for unmanned missions. 

While the current plans for the Raider include a crew of two, the Air Force has said that future aircraft must be able to be completely remote.

Representatives for Northrop called the B-21 'pioneering' and 'technological excellence.'

'The B-21 is the most advanced military aircraft ever built and is a product of pioneering innovation and technological excellence,' said Northrop sector vice president and general manager Dough Young.


More

First payload data I've seen so far. I was surprised to see single axle main gear. Carpet bombing is clearly a way of the past. That's ok, knife bombs are pretty badass too.

It's not lockheed, so....

The leading speculation, and imagery from a few years back of likely testbed airframes, had all suggested essentially a replicated B2 layout, with minor differences to the number and shape of the rear fuselage protrusions.

In contrast, the unwillingness to let the rear profile of the airframe to be photographed or observed, combined with the reflections in the hangar floor, and the logo above the front gear door, all suggest this might have a considerably longer fuselage than we're led to believe by everything leaked thus far.

Maybe it really does have a saucer shape...?

Form follows function.

I didn't say it was.

Maybe but the troops dig the vibe.

One thing I thought of - unmanned flights does not necessarily mean unmanned combat missions.  Being able to be ferried without an onboard pilot could free pilots up to actually perform missions.  While hopefully the coatings on this one will allow it to be operated outside it's home field, when it does need to go back for service - at least the crew might not need to spend a day in the cockpit both ways.

Refined diamond shaped windows further reduce radar signatures. No 90 degree angles is a major factor, just like the F-117.
Styling goes out the window when it comes to stealth, function is everything. As for increased visibility for pilots, the glass cockpit displays and autonomous tasks 'should' take care of business when it comes to situational awareness with the pilots being systems directors and configuring the aircraft to perform functions without even looking out of the windows. The pilots will be mode selectors and task managers. A better view would make for cool youtube video's though.

https://theaviationist.com/2022/12/03/lets-have-a-closer-look-at-the-b-21-raider-stealth-bomber/