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Titel: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 16/01/2013 | 11:53 uur
Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability

The U.S. Air Force exists because of bombers.  Although military leaders were quick to grasp the warfighting potential of airplanes after the Wright Brothers proved the feasibility of flight, it took decades before they were convinced there should be a separate military service dedicated to air power.  What changed their minds was the role that long-range bombers played in securing victory during World War Two.

It wasn't just the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that made bombers look like a weapon that could win future wars.  On the night of March 9-10, 1945 — months before atomic bombs found their way to the Pacific theater — 300 B-29s loaded with incendiary weapons destroyed 16 square miles of the Japanese capital.  Subsequent raids burned out most of Japan's major cities.  So the addition of atomic weapons to the air campaign in August of 1945 simply reinforced the already widespread belief that bombers were something new and special.

Within two years after the war ended, the Air Force was granted independence from the Army, and then went on to become first among equals in Pentagon councils during the early years of the Cold War.  Ironically, though, the new service at that time was already funding what some experts today say was its last fully successful bomber-development program.  That effort produced the iconic B-52 bomber featured in the movie Dr. Strangelove that has played a role in every major U.S. military campaign from Vietnam to Afghanistan.

Despite the passage of 60 years since its inception, the B-52 remains the most common heavy bomber in the Air Force fleet.  There are newer bombers in the fleet too — the supersonic B-1 built in the 1980s and the stealthy B-2 built in the 1990s — but they have proven to be more controversial than the beloved "Buff" (as airmen call the B-52).  The bat-winged B-2, for instance, saw its production goal slashed from 132 planes to a mere 21 when the Cold War ended, amidst widespread complaints about its billion-dollar price-tag.  All 100 of the B-1 bombers that the Reagan Administration set out to buy were actually built, but it took many years to fix the plane's deficient electronic defenses, and by the time that was accomplished the rationale for buying the bomber had largely disappeared with the Soviet Union.

Not that the bombers aren't useful.  The B-2 typically is the first bomber used in every air campaign because it is so survivable, and with recent modifications it will soon be able to precisely hit 200 targets in a single flight.  That's quite a change from World War Two, when hundreds of sorties against a single target sometimes produced little damage.  The B-1 has been transformed from a nuclear bomber to a carrier of conventional munitions; like the other heavy bombers in the fleet, it will be equipped with rotary weapon launchers so that it can deliver diverse weapons tailored to the characteristics of specific targets and missions.  The advent of GPS-guided smart bombs has made all of the bombers in the fleet, even the venerable B-52, more lethal than earlier generations of aviators could have imagined.

However, the bombers are getting old.  Structures need to be reinforced, engines need to replaced, electronic equipment needs to be replaced.  Even if corrosion, metal fatigue and parts obsolescence were not taking a toll on the planes, potential adversaries are buying better and better air defenses that will make it harder for the bombers to reach their targets in future wars.  That problem can be ameliorated by loading the bombers with "standoff" weapons like cruise missiles that are released from outside enemy defensive perimeters, but at a million dollars a pop, it's an expensive way of waging air campaigns that sometimes consume tens of thousands of weapons.

Besides, standoff weapons have only limited lethality against the kind of deeply buried and/or hardened targets that countries like China are building.  And now questions are being raised about whether even ground-hugging cruise missiles will be able to penetrate contested airspace in the future.  So with their aging fleet of barely 160 long-range bombers facing a growing array of operational challenges, Air Force leaders have reluctantly come to the conclusion that they need to buy a new bomber.

I say reluctantly because so many Air Force modernization programs have been canceled or delayed since the Cold War ended that the service now finds itself forced to replace its fighters, tankers and helicopters all at the same time.  Adding bombers to that list is very difficult in the current fiscal environment.  If Hollywood were making a movie about the outlook for new weapon programs in Washington today, it might be called "No Country for New Starts."

The Air Force received that message forcefully during the early months of the first Obama Administration when former defense secretary Robert Gates canceled a proposed "next-generation bomber."  Gates said at the time that the performance requirements for the plane needed more reflection, but he also made clear that he wanted to avoid a repetition of the cost overruns seen in the B-1 and B-2 programs.  Gates was probably right about killing the program, because the service was pursuing a medium-range aircraft that would have had limited utility in a war against China or Russia.  Once the Pentagon began concentrating on shifting the U.S. strategic focus to the Western Pacific, though, the need for a new bomber — a long-range one — resurfaced.

When the administration rolled out its Asia-Pacific military posture a year ago, the need for a new bomber that could function effectively in the vast distances of the Pacific Basin got explicit endorsement.  And with good reason: the U.S. doesn't have access to many bases near China, and most of them could be preemptively targeted by the Chinese military during the early days of a future war.  Beijing also has been developing anti-ship missiles and other weapons that could deny U.S. warships access to its littoral waters.  So if Washington wants to prevent the Middle Kingdom from eventually dominating the industrial heartland of the new global economy, it needs ways of deterring Chinese aggression from far away that don't require threatening nuclear war.

Bombers equipped with precision-guided conventional munitions are the obvious answer, so long as they have sufficient range, payload and survivability features.  The B-52 and B-1 have the legs and bomb-loads required, but Air Force planners are skeptical that they will be able to cope with Chinese defenses in the future.  The stealthy B-2 looks highly survivable for many years to come, but there are only 20 in the fleet and major air campaigns typically require a hundred bombers.  Some of those 20 planes wouldn't be available on any given day due to maintenance downtime, and planners have to assume a few of the planes would be lost due to hostile fire despite their low-observable features.

In theory, the Air Force has many hundreds of tactical aircraft like the F-15E fighter-bomber that might be used to prosecute an air campaign in the Western Pacific, but those planes have limited ranges and thus would be heavily dependent on aerial refueling.  If U.S. regional bases were targeted, then it isn't clear where either the fighters or the tankers could operate from.  So the Air Force's dwindling bomber fleet becomes a pivotal factor in deterring future Chinese aggression given the geography of the Western Pacific and the capabilities Beijing is likely to have at its disposal 10 or 20 years from now.

With that in mind, the Obama Administration has budgeted over $6 billion through fiscal 2017 to commence development of a new "Long-Range Strike Bomber" that will be ready for operations circa 2025.  The Air Force has been reluctant to disclose any details about the program beyond the fact that it wants 80-100 planes at an average cost per plane of $550 million.  That's about twice what the latest widebody commercial transports sell for, which isn't much when you consider all the sensors and other on-board equipment the planes would require to operate successfully in hostile airspace.  It's a foregone conclusion that the new bomber will be as stealthy as possible, but it looks like the options to operate in unmanned mode or with nuclear weapons will be deferred to save money.

Another technique for saving money will be to use proven technology already developed for other programs, such as the sensor suite on the new F-35 fighter or the landing gear on the B-2 bomber.  Air Force leaders have referred to the bomber as a "family" of systems, which probably means the plane will rely on off-board systems such as orbital reconnaissance satellites to reduce the need for expensive on-board systems.  However, planners will have to weigh the cost-saving advantages of a family-of-systems approach against the danger that vital datalinks might be jammed by future adversaries.  The plane must be able to operate autonomously in some warfighting scenarios.

If this plan manages to stay on track through the various fiscal cliffs and valleys that lie ahead, then some contractor will eventually get a contract worth tens of billions of dollars to build the new bomber.  There are only three plausible candidates: Boeing, which has built most of the nation's past bombers; Lockheed Martin, which has built all of the nation's stealthy tactical aircraft; and Northrop Grumman, which was prime contractor on the most advanced bomber, the B-2.  A team containing any two of these companies would probably enjoy such decisive advantages in a competition that it would win the program.

Regardless of who wins, the nation's next bomber will likely be assembled at a secret facility in California's Mojave Desert called Air Force Plant 42 — the same place where the super-secret B-2 was integrated.  Air Force leaders believe strongly that secrecy enhances the value of whatever aircraft eventually emerges from the plant, because potential enemies will lack information needed to defend against it.  And therein lies what may be the most important fact about the new bomber: if enemies fear they have no effective defenses against it, then they will be less inclined to start a war in the first place.  So the Long-Range Strike Bomber isn't just crucial to winning future wars, it's crucial to preventing them.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2013/01/15/air-force-wants-a-bomber-that-balances-cost-with-capability/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 19/06/2013 | 10:42 uur
Air Force Bomber Could Fly Unmanned Missions

Jun 18, 2013

Military.com| by Kris Osborn

The Pentagon may be settling into what could be a decade of spartan defense spending, but the Air Force isn't giving up its hope of buying a sizable fleet of manned and unmanned long-range bombers, the service's top acquisition officer said recently.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/06/18/air-force-bomber-could-fly-unmanned-missions.html
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 26/10/2013 | 11:11 uur
Boeing teams with rival to pursue bomber contract


Posted: Friday, October 25, 2013 /  Tim Logan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) 

Boeing Co. will join with one of its biggest rivals to win one of the largest defense contracts this country will see for a long time.

The aerospace giant announced plans Friday to team with Lockheed Martin in its bid to build a new generation of bombers for the U.S. Air Force.

The $55 billion job, which probably won't be awarded for several years, is the only major military plane-making contract the Pentagon has left on the table right now. Winning it, analysts say, is essential to Boeing's future in the military aircraft business.

While Boeing's Hazelwood-based defense unit will be the lead contractor on the bid, teaming with Lockheed will essentially double its clout in Washington, where the two companies are expected to face off against Northrop Grumman. The partnership will also help Boeing offer the Air Force better technology at a lower price, the company said.

"The team will be able to produce unique and affordable solutions that could not be achieved without partnering," Boeing and Lockheed said in a statement.

In the big-dollar business of military aviation, the stakes couldn't be much higher.

Amid shrinking defense budgets, the Air Force has made the Long-Range Strike Bomber, designed to replace aging B-2s, a top priority. And after awarding the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Lockheed and the KC-46 Tanker to Boeing, the Pentagon has no other major planes in its development pipeline.

Whoever wins the bomber will sustain thousands of jobs for decades. But if Boeing loses the contract, what's left of the old McDonnell Douglas could someday find itself out of the plane-making business altogether.

"If McAir has a future as an airframer it's with this," said Richard Aboulafia, a veteran defense analyst with the the Teal Group. "I can't think of anything else worth noting."

While the Pentagon's precise requirements for the plane remain classified, Air Force officials have said they want something that can fly both staffed and, later, unstaffed bombing runs deep into well-defended airspace.

The Air Force will buy 80 to 100 of the planes and have set a price cap of $550 million apiece. That budget puts a premium on current technologies, said Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick.

"A lot of Air Force acquisitions are using existing technologies," he said. "You can field something faster and keep requirements in check and have a better handle on costs."

Both Boeing and Lockheed already have experience with the sort of stuff the new bomber is likely to need, from the advanced sensors of the F-22 to the strike capability of the F-35 to the stealthy, drone Phantom Ray developed at Boeing's Phantom Works in Hazelwood. But so does likely competitor Northrop Grumman, who made the Air Force's last bomber, the B-2, and whose X-47B stealth drone beat out Boeing for a Navy developmental contract in 2007. Still, analysts give the Boeing-Lockheed team good odds.

In the bare-knuckled but pragmatic world of defense contracting, these sort of tie-ups are not unusual on big jobs, as they help companies combine both technical expertise and political clout. Boeing contributes about one-third of the Lockheed-built F-22, while Northrop is a major supplier on Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Boeing and Lockheed had first agreed to collaborate, 50-50, on the bomber back in 2008, but parted ways two years later when the Air Force suspended the program. When it got moving again, they weighed their options before deciding to team up again, said Boeing spokesman Todd Blecher.

"Over the past year the two companies began looking at this kind of arrangement again," he said. "They determined that working together would benefit the Air Force more than doing this a different way. They discussed it with the Air Force, and the Air Force agreed."

Gulick said he couldn't comment on the Air Force's opinion of the collaboration. Aboulafia said both the partnership and the way it's structured would probably help Boeing's chances.

"They need to make this work," he said. "And this time what they're doing is having a clear program leader. A 'marriage of equals' means no one's in charge."

Should this partnership win the contract, having Boeing in the driver's seat could benefit St. Louis.

The company's Hazelwood assembly lines for the F-15, C-17 and F/A-18 are all likely to peter out by the time the Air Force wants to start taking delivery of the bombers in the mid-2020s. If Boeing plans to keep its experienced workforce here active, it will need a new product. Company executives have said in the past that St. Louis would be a strong candidate for a bomber assembly line, though Blecher said Friday that any location decision was still classified and Gulick said it was probably still too early in the process to know.

But in a recent interview with the Post-Dispatch, defense analyst Loren Thompson pegged the bomber as the best bet St. Louis had to keep active the assembly lines that have been pumping out planes, and employing thousands of people doing it, since World War II.

"Boeing's the company to beat in this competition," he said. "And that program is the best hope St. Louis has for maintaining a large workforce there."

©2013 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

http://lakeexpo.com/news/top_stories/article_b0c5e368-3dde-11e3-a417-001a4bcf887a.html#.Umt3tf1Y9J0.twitter
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Elzenga op 26/10/2013 | 11:28 uur
Als er zo geen concurrentie ontstaat gaat dit project alleen maar meer kosten...Het lijkt me dat de B1 en B2 nog wel wat jaartjes meekunnen...
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 26/10/2013 | 11:58 uur
Citaat van: Elzenga op 26/10/2013 | 11:28 uur
Als er zo geen concurrentie ontstaat gaat dit project alleen maar meer kosten...Het lijkt me dat de B1 en B2 nog wel wat jaartjes meekunnen...

Ik vermoed dat er niet veel andere keus is, als LM de opdracht alleen zou krijgen dan is Boeing voorlopig klaar met specifiek militaire projecten (als fighters en Bombers) rond 2020 rond is het exit productielijnen van zowel de F15 als de F18 en rondom de FA/XX, Boeings gedroomde opvolger van de F18E/F is het nog erg stil.

Als ze aan de overkant van de plas niet uitkijken dan creëren ze een pure monopolist en daar wordt niemand uiteindelijk blij van (behalve LM natuurlijk)

Of men moet het contact puur aan Boeing gunnen.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 26/10/2013 | 15:24 uur
Citaat van: Elzenga op 26/10/2013 | 11:28 uur
Als er zo geen concurrentie ontstaat gaat dit project alleen maar meer kosten...Het lijkt me dat de B1 en B2 nog wel wat jaartjes meekunnen...

Het zal in ieder geval een grote uitdaging worden. Zeker omdat duidelijk is dat de producenten de laatste twintig jaar een stevige greep op het beleid hebben gekregen. Ook ambitie van de Amerikanen en de USAF in het bijzonder ligt vaak erg hoog, regelmatig hoger dan haalbaar.

De genoemde B1 en B2, maar ook de B52 zullen nog wel even in dienst blijven. De Ik dacht dat de B52 de 100 dienstjaren zou gaan halen?

Grootste probleem is nog dat de USAF zelf stelt dat je zonder stealth en supercruise kansloos bent, en die combo heeft geen van die bombers. Het is gewoon 'jammer' dat het B2 project zo enorm geflopt is.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 23/02/2014 | 20:36 uur
USAF Defends Need for New Long-Range Bomber

..../....

The panel featured a full-throated defense of the long-range strike bomber as a key asset for the future of the Air Force. It was a slightly puzzling attitude, given that the bomber has been identified as one of the big three key modernization programs for the service and has secured what Lt. Gen. Burton Field, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements, called "great support" from Pentagon and congressional leadership.

..../....

The new platform will be fielded in the mid-2020s, with penetrating capability in mind. The service will procure between 80 and 100 of the bombers, which will mostly be made with existing technologies. Those platforms will also have both stand-off and direct-attack munitions and room for a "significant" payload.

Field clarified after the panel that the 80- to 100 range is more about uncertainty over the price — the service wants to keep the cost for the program under $550 million per plane — rather than a figure representing the minimum number of bombers needed to mitigate risk (Note: An earlier version of this story did not specify that the $550 million price tag was per plane).

..../....

While the new bomber will be based on existing technology, both Field and his co-panelist, analyst Rebecca Grant, talked about the need for the platform to move technologies forward.

..../....

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140220/DEFREG02/302200043/USAF-Defends-Need-New-Long-Range-Bomber
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 27/02/2014 | 10:13 uur
James: USAF Expects Long-Range Bomber RFP in Fall

The US Air Force intends to issue a request for proposal (RFP) on its new long-range strike bomber this fall, according to the service's top civilian official.

"We expect that there will be a full RFP, a final RFP and a competition probably in the fall timeframe," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said at a Feb. 26 event, hosted by Bloomberg.

James also told the audience that there are "two teams at present who are working on pre-proposal types of activities, preparing to take the next step in competition on the long-range strike bomber."

While not identifying the two teams, it has been widely assumed for months that the two competitors for the program are Northrop Grumman and the team of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

The news came as something of a surprise, as the bomber program has been shrouded in mystery. James also promised more details would come out during next week's budget rollout.

..../....

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140226/DEFREG02/302260043/James-USAF-Expects-Long-Range-Bomber-RFP-Fall
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 27/02/2014 | 11:00 uur
CitaatService officials have cited a cost figure of $550 million per plane as the ceiling for the program, but even that figure has some mystery to it. Outside observers have noted that the figure does not include research and development costs, which could drive up that amount.

Fascinerend ook weer.
Ergens is het eigenlijk ook gewoon wel treurig. Het F22 programma is stilgezet om kosten te besparen, alleen om opgevolgd te worden door een duurder programma.
De kosten van de LRB zijn met de geplande 550 miljoen ongeveer gelijk aan het geplande bedrag voor de B2. Die werd uiteindelijk duurder, vooral ook doordat er maar weinig toestellen werden afgenomen.

Ben erg benieuwd wat er uit dit programma tevoorschijn gaat komen.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 29/01/2015 | 20:25 uur
Is this America's next stealth bomber?

29/1/2015

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/special-features/is-this-americas-next-stealth-bomber/story-fnknbqfy-1227200598946
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 29/01/2015 | 20:26 uur
Northrop Grumman Teased Us With Its New Stealth Bomber

War Is Boring  on Jan 25

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/northrop-grumman-just-teased-us-with-its-new-stealth-bomber-2d091402f62b
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Ace1 op 29/01/2015 | 20:43 uur
Mooie Commercial van Northrop Grumman

Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 29/01/2015 | 21:44 uur
Citaat van: Ace1 op 29/01/2015 | 20:43 uur
Mooie Commercial van Northrop Grumman


Let op de laatste secondes, de schaduw in de wolken
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 29/01/2015 | 22:06 uur
Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 29/01/2015 | 21:44 uur
Let op de laatste secondes, de schaduw in de wolken

Dat had ik ook al gezien, geen B2 vorm, meer ala SR71 Blackbird

Iets zoals de SR72, alleen deze is van LM
http://aviationweek.com/blog/meet-sr-72

(https://www.defensieforum.nl/Forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freewebs.com%2Fjeffhead%2Fsr72%2Fsr-72-01.jpg&hash=a3447e72ca6505c6d2ab5d97dadea643f4d675dd)
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 31/01/2015 | 17:05 uur
Northrop Grumman Hangar TV Commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vkdUBNOOc
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 01/02/2015 | 10:18 uur
Northrop Ad To Run During Super Bowl: Hints At Next-Gen Bomber 

By Colin Clark 
on January 31, 2015

It will be one of the great weapons competitions of the 21st century. Northrop Grumman is competing against a team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build the Long Range Strike Bomber. The company has also created design teams to work on so-called sixth generation fighters for the Air Force and the Navy.

With the Pentagon budget due out on Monday — and the bomber program expected to occupy a proud place in the Air Force budget – Northrop Grumman will air its new ad during America's hottest television ad event — the Super Bowl. The shrouded aircraft at the end of the ad is clearly intended to suggest either the LRSB or the next-generation fighter — or both.

The ad begins with the very old and very cool YB-35, a tail-less blended-wing plane. Next up is the B-2 bomber, followed by the X-47B aircraft, which did what many thought would be very difficult, if not impossible — land and take off from an aircraft carrier without a human on board.

140817-N-CE233ATLANTIC OCEAN (August 17, 2014) – The Navy's unmanned X-47B conducts flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The aircraft completed a series of tests demonstrating its ability to operate safely an
Northrop X-47 carrier landing

We don't know much about the highly classified LRSB program, beyond the fact that the plane will be optionally manned, will boast advanced low observable characteristics, highly advanced sensors and may also include drones controlled by the bombers.

Northrop, of course, built the LRSB's predecessor, the fabulous and fabulously expensive B-2 bomber, of which only 21 planes were built.

How big will this new program be? Todd Harrison, one of the country's top defense budget experts, estimates the bomber will cost up to $25 billion for the bomber's research and development costs. The Air Force plans to buy 100 aircraft and says the flyaway cost will be about $550 million per plane in 2010 dollars. Harrison notes the plane would already cost about $600 million in current dollars.

Harrison notes that funding the LRSB will swell to significant levels around 2020 just as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be reaching full production numbers, the effort to build America's next-generation nuclear missile submarine — the Ohio Replacement Program — will be ramping up, the KC-46 airborne tankers built by Boeing will be hitting full production and the Air Force's next-generation trainer aircraft –T-X — will be bought in bulk.

That will make the competition for dollars within the Air Force and between the services intensely competitive, not to mention the competition between the defense companies for all that new revenue. Northrop is clearly positioning itself early and big to make sure taxpayers know what it is doing and to try and convince them it should be getting a big slice of what may be a shrinking or static budget pie.

I don't think any defense company has advertised during the Super Bowl, but I didn't live in the US for a long stretch during the 1970s and 80s, so I may be wrong. Regardless, Northrop's bold strike is a clear sign of just how high the stakes are for the company as it competes for the bomber and for the next generation of fighter aircraft for the Navy and Air Force in a time of declining budgets.

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/01/northrop-ad-to-run-during-super-bowl-hints-at-next-gen-bomber/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 01/02/2015 | 11:10 uur
Zegt ook wel iets over hoe de wapen industrie daar werkt.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Huzaar1 op 01/02/2015 | 15:38 uur
Grappig die  YB-35 .. wel erg goedkoop dat ze pretenderen dit zelf ontwikkeld te hebben, ding is afgeleid van de Hortens, maar geen woord wordt daar meer over gerept.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 02/02/2015 | 19:43 uur
Pentagon's Five-Year Plan Busts Spending Caps by $155 Billion

feb, 2 - 2015

The Air Force plans to spend $13.8 billion in fiscal 2016 through 2020 on research and development for a new long-range strike bomber, including $1.17 billion in 2016. Spending would build to $3.79 billion in 2020. Falls Church, Virginia-based Northrop Grumman Corp. is competing against a team of Lockheed and Chicago-based Boeing Co. for the program. The Air Force plans to select a winner this year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-02/pentagon-s-five-year-plan-busts-spending-caps-by-155-billion
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Ace1 op 02/02/2015 | 20:00 uur
Citaat van: Huzaar1 op 01/02/2015 | 15:38 uur
Grappig die  YB-35 .. wel erg goedkoop dat ze pretenderen dit zelf ontwikkeld te hebben, ding is afgeleid van de Hortens, maar geen woord wordt daar meer over gerept.

Tuurlijk zullen ontwerpers de ontwerpers van Nortop de Ho 229 hebben bekeken en hebben daar de bruikbare dingen van overgenomen maar ze hadden natuurlijk de nodige kennis in huis met de Northrop N-1M en de Northrop N-9M. Nortop was eerder met dit soort vliegtuigen dan de Nazi´s


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_N-1M

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_N-9M

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horten_Ho_229

(https://www.defensieforum.nl/Forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F1%2F17%2FNorthrop_N-1M_Udvar-Hazy.jpg%2F1280px-Northrop_N-1M_Udvar-Hazy.jpg&hash=a24f31da5f5c31bf6175d8d9dcc625e0c94495a4)


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Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Huzaar1 op 02/02/2015 | 20:35 uur
Citaat van: Ace1 op 02/02/2015 | 20:00 uur
Tuurlijk zullen ontwerpers de ontwerpers van Nortop de Ho 229 hebben bekeken en hebben daar de bruikbare dingen van overgenomen maar ze hadden natuurlijk de nodige kennis in huis met de Northrop N-1M en de Northrop N-9M. Nortop was eerder met dit soort vliegtuigen dan de Nazi´s




De Duitsers waren absoluut een heel stuk verder met deze ontwerpen.
De Amerikaan was niet meer dan een  experimenteel houten constructie waarbij 2 propellers zorgden voor een vliegtuig wat een vent de lucht in hield.

De Duitsers waren bezig met een straal aangedreven gevechts jager in staat om een ton aan bommen mee te nemen met een topsnelheid van 1000 kmph.
(https://www.defensieforum.nl/Forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fc%2Fc4%2FHortenHo229_unloading.jpg&hash=06bd46d68c9e73177c2c8f19c4eda7c7d921e9a3)

Dat is hele andere koek. Jaartallen tegenover elkaar zetten doet geen recht aan de feiten. Het stadium waar de Northrop zich in bevond, daar waren de Duitsers al voorbij. Het toestel won een gesimuleerde dog-fight met de Me262, ook een straaljager.

(https://www.defensieforum.nl/Forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbecher1.greyfalcon.us%2Fpictures4%2Fhortens.jpg&hash=68cb0e213ae6a65914f65321f06ba78944e6b909)

"Designers pursued the all-wing dream from the first decade of powered flight, notably Jack Northrop in the U.S. and the Horten brothers in Germany. Reimar and Walter Horten were a step ahead, testing an all-wing sailplane in 1933, a twin-engined pusher in 1937, and a turbojet fighter-bomber in 1944. When the war ended, Reimar was working on a six-engine Amerika bomber to carry a hypothetical atomic bomb to New York City.""

http://greyfalcon.us/The%20Horten%20Ho%20229.htm

(https://www.defensieforum.nl/Forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurflugel.com%2FNurflugel%2FHorten_Nurflugels%2Fho_ix%2Fho_ix_v-3.jpg&hash=58c16d8a9b28ed5da2d28420353a8b187df258cc)



Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 02/02/2015 | 22:54 uur
Misschien interessant voor sommigen, een Ho 229 is herbouwd en getest door Northrop op z'n stealth eigenschappen.

Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 03/02/2015 | 12:01 uur
Why Northrop Grumman Ran A Super Bowl Ad For A Stealth Bomber

2-2-2015

How many American consumers are looking to purchase a new long-range stealth super-bomber? None. So why would Northrop Grumman spend big bucks on producing such a glitzy ad and pay to have it run in Washington DC and Dayton, Ohio during the Super Bowl? Defense contractors have learned a thing or two from Steve Jobs.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/why-northrop-grumman-ran-a-super-bowl-ad-for-a-stealth-1683062602
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 13/05/2015 | 10:20 uur
What The B-3 Bomber Should Be 

By Robbin Laird 
on May 12, 2015

The bomber has a long and distinguished history in the Air Force and its predecessor, the Army Air Corps. When the B-17 Flying Fortress was born, it was a controversial aircraft, but proved its worth when Nazi Germany controlled a continent and only the B-17 fleet could deliver strikes inside Nazi-controlled territory, thanks to the bomber's range and payload.

But the road to the B-17 was not smooth. Before the war, fighter pilots and bomber advocates argued who was best and the bombers won, at great cost. B-17s flew unescorted into Nazi territory and their crews died in great numbers until long-range fighters were deployed. Since then, bombers and fighters have fought as interactive capabilities.

With the addition of the B-29, a new tool set was added to Pacific operations and it became the harbinger of things to come in the Cold War when the B-52 entered the fleet. Air Force bombers became "strategic" assets for their role as a central part of the nuclear triad. Then their usefulness in conventional conflicts became clear during the Vietnam War because of the amount of ordinance it could deliver.

Flash forward to 2015 and the B-52 is still around. It's been joined by the B-1 and the B-2; all of which are playing roles unimagined at the time the B-52 was introduced. Today bombers perform tactical missions such as Close Air Support, thanks to precision-guided munitions and the sensors that can be used to guide them to their targets.

There has been an inversion of the strategic and tactical with the evolution of bombers, whereby small groups  of aircraft can deliver strategic effects while conducting what would normally be described as tactical missions. Any new bomber like the Long Range Strike Bomber — generally becoming known as the B-3 — will be born in a period where the tactical and strategic are being redefined.

Although the new bomber is not going to be designed as a leap-ahead capability — since it will depend mostly on existing technologies such as enhancements made over the years to the B-2 — the B-3 is not just a successor to  to the B-2, any more than the Osprey was a replacement for the CH-46. As Marine Lt. Col. Berke – the first F-35B squadron commander who also flew F-22s — has put it: "The Osprey is the chronological successor to the CH-46 but that is about it. It compares in no other way."

The B-3, which will be built either by a Boeing-Lockheed team or Northrop Grumman, will enter a fleet in the midst of a revolution in air combat. Sea and air operations are now inextricably intertwined with air power, so much so that airpower is the ubiquitous enabler for 21st century combat operations. With the introduction of the F-35 global fleet, a re-norming of airpower is underway and an offensive-defensive enterprise is being created for the US and its allies to prevail against wide-ranging global threats.

Modern systems such as the F-35 create a grid so individual aircraft can operate in an area as a seamless whole, able to strike or defend simultaneously. This is enabled by what we've dubbed the evolution of C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance).

The B-3 is not simply going to provide more ordnance over greater distance to do strategic missions; it is about reinforcing and enabling greater capabilities for a radically different combat air force. Range and payload will be important elements of the basic platform, as will leveraging new concepts of stealth to provide low observability. But that is simply a foundation.
◾First, the bomber needs to be capable of drawing upon the sensor rich environment being delivered by the global F-35 fleet, unmanned systems, and both American and allied ISR assets.
◾Second, it needs to have a C2 system whereby it can obtain and provide tailored information to the warfighter engaged in a mission.
◾Third, with the scalable force, it will need to be able to provide battle management capabilities for more forward-deployed or shorter-range assets.
◾Fourth, the weapons revolution is accelerating, and over time, different weapons could well be placed on different platforms, so that the B-3 will need to able to not simply to manage the weapons it has onboard organically, but to be able to operate in a sensor-enabled strike environment, where it is a key asset but not necessarily the lead or even most important asset.
◾Fifth, not only will the B-3 become a nuclear delivery vehicle but a deterrent asset able to work with the combat air force to deliver timely and effective strikes against nuclear powers like North Korea before they can use their missiles and weapons against US and allied targets.

In other words, the B-3 is part of the re-norming of airpower, a key enabler of the forward deployed F-35 global enterprise, a key element in both living off and providing targeted information, and key user and provider of sensor enabled weapons, and a key deterrent weapon against second nuclear age powers.

This has little to do with the B-17, somewhat more like the B-52 but not really about building a powerful organic strategic asset like the B-2.  It is about being a highly effective enabler of more effective longer-range engagement operations, which can effectively tap into joint or coalition airpower.

For example, fifth generation aircraft and missile defense systems can find targets for the weapons on the B-3. It can then function as the battle manager for integrated air operations. This means that that the sensors, the C2 and information management capabilities of the bomber are a crucial element of its capability.

At the heart of shaping an offensive-defensive enterprise is what one might call the S3Revolution. Sensors, stealth and speed enable the air combat enterprise to find, kill and respond effectively to the numerous threats that global powers and pop up forces can present to the US and its allies.

As the central force in the air combat enterprise, the B-3 can ensure the United States has the upper hand with the Chinese in a 21st-century strategic engagement. The bomber, acting as the battle manager, provides a new kind of presence, linked by highly interoperable, Lego-like blocks that can work with allies that allow for scalable forces with reach-back to U.S. capabilities in the littoral and the homeland. The bottom line: U.S. forces need to be highly connected and interoperable with our allies. The bomber will provide a core reach-back capability enabling the entire allied force.

It is not simply about being a powerful thing in itself — a bomber — but by providing significant enhancement of the capabilities of 21st century American and allied airpower.

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/05/what-the-b-3-bomber-should-be/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 14/05/2015 | 10:46 uur
New bomber on track despite possible $460M cut, USAF says

By James Drew | May 13, 2015

The two-star general in charge of the US Air Force's nuclear mission says the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) programme is "going exceedingly well" and meeting its major milestones despite a four-month delay to downselecting a prime contractor.

Maj Gen Garrett Harencak says he agrees with the $460 million funding reduction recently proposed by the house armed services committee for fiscal 2016, since the air force won't be able to spend big on the programme until the contract is awarded anyway. Northrop Grumman and a Boeing-Lockheed Martin team are vying for the contract.

"We can keep this system on track and take those reductions," he said at a 13 May Air Force Association event in Washington, noting that there would likely be years when money needs to be shifted from another account to support the bomber.

According to language in the committee's defense policy bill, the four-month contract delay left the air force with $360 million in surplus funding appropriated for fiscal 2015 that can cover some of next year's expenditures. The additional $100 million can be cut due to a "slower spend rate" in fiscal 2016. In total, the committee would fund the LRS-B at $786.2 million. The programme requires $14 billion in funding over the next five years.

The air force wants to buy 80 to 100 stealthy, nuclear-capable bombers at a cost of about $550 million per copy to supplement and then eventually replace the aging B-1 Lancer and B-52 fleets. Air force acquisition spokesman Ed Gulick says the service expects to award a contract this summer.

According to Clark Murdock of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, spending on nuclear modernisation will spike from 4-5% of the entire defence budget to about 8-9% in the 2020s when accounting for LRS-B, although that's still proportionally less than other nuclear powers like Russia and China spend on their strategic nuclear weapons. The new bomber will also support conventional operations.

Murdock thinks investment in a new bomber is critically important to America's national security strategy.

"Our defence budget is cost-capped, and it leads everybody to question every expenditure because you're trying to force as much programme into your budget as possible," he says, referring to automatic spending limits known as sequestration. "Everybody's trying to sneak their nose into the tent and foot in the door.

"You should identify your must-have capabilities and adequately fund them, because you don't want to have inadequately funded must-have capabilities. It's an oxymoron."

The air force asked Congress for $1.25 billion to support the bomber program in its fiscal 2016 budget request published in March. That funding profile climbs to $3.8 billion annually by 2020.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/new-bomber-on-track-despite-possible-460m-cut-usaf-412295/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 13/06/2015 | 10:18 uur
America's $55 billion bomber battle heats up

by  Clay Dillow - June 12, 2015

The decision over who will build America's next stealth bomber will shake up the defense industry.

It could happen in August, or maybe in late July. Depending on who you ask, it could even happen before the end of this month. No one—at least no one who's talking publicly—seems to know exactly when the U.S. Air Force will award a $55 billion development and procurement contract for the branch's next-generation long-range bomber.

Voor het gehele artikel: zie link:

http://fortune.com/2015/06/12/america-military-bomber/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 02/09/2015 | 19:29 uur
LRS-B Details Emerge: Major Testing, Risk Reduction Complete

By Aaron Mehta 11:26 a.m. EDT September 2, 2015

WASHINGTON — The two designs competing to be the US Air Force's next generation bomber have undergone extensive testing by the service and are far more mature than previously known, to a level nearly unheard of in the Pentagon before a contract award, Defense News has learned.

Het volledige artikel, zie link:

http://www.defensenews.com/story/breaking-news/2015/09/02/new-air-force-bomber-testing-stealth-wind-test/71572050/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 21/09/2015 | 19:24 uur
Prototypes of new U.S. long range stealth bombers may already have been flown as spending on secret project jumps to $1bn

US Air Force moving forward with plans for a next-generation bomber
Contract for top-secret project is expected to be awarded within months
Spending on the project is said to have topped a billion dollars this year
Long Range Strike Bomber running as a classified program since 2011

By Julian Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 15:33 GMT, 21 September 2015


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3243491/Prototypes-new-long-range-stealth-bombers-built-tested-spending-project-jumps-1bn.html#ixzz3mOY6rzf7

Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 26/10/2015 | 20:07 uur
Pentagon plans to announce winner of LRS-B on Oct. 27

Bloomberg says the Pentagon is scheduled to announce the winning team for the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) contract after markets closed on Oct. 27.

http://alert5.com/2015/10/27/pentagon-plans-to-announce-winner-of-lrs-b-on-oct-27/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 26/10/2015 | 20:26 uur
Experts split on likely Long-Range Strike Bomber winner

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/experts-split-on-likely-long-range-strike-bomber-win-418212/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 27/10/2015 | 19:43 uur
US military to announce builder of next super bomber (vandaag om  21.15 GMT = 22.15 NL tijd)

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6676414/2015/10/27/us-military-announce-builder-next-super-bomber via @GlobalPost
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 27/10/2015 | 19:51 uur
Ik denk dat ze voor Amerikaans gaan 😅
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 27/10/2015 | 19:53 uur
Citaat van: Thomasen op 27/10/2015 | 19:51 uur
Ik denk dat ze voor Amerikaans gaan 😅

:angel: zou je denken?

Boeiend vind ik het wel....

Het zal mij benieuwen of ze ook het winnende model presenteren (al was het maar als animatie)
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Elzenga op 27/10/2015 | 19:57 uur
Citaat van: Thomasen op 27/10/2015 | 19:51 uur
Ik denk dat ze voor Amerikaans gaan 😅
:lol:
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 27/10/2015 | 22:30 uur
Northrop Grumman Wins Air Force's Long Range Strike Bomber Contract

By Lara Seligman and Andrew Clevenger 5:17 p.m. EDT October 27, 2015

Northrop Grumman won the contract to build the US Air Force's next-gen Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), an industry-shaping deal that breathes new life into the world's sixth-largest defense company.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/10/27/northrop-grumman-wins-usaf-bomber-contract/74661394/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 27/10/2015 | 22:46 uur
Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 27/10/2015 | 22:30 uur
Northrop Grumman won the contract to build the US Air Force's next-gen Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), an industry-shaping deal that breathes new life into the world's sixth-largest defense company.

Nou, die zijn dan wel even veilig gesteld. Benieuwd of ze het waar gaan maken.

CitaatFor the Pentagon, the hard part is about to begin. A bid protest seems inevitable given that LRS-B is the first major military aircraft acquisition program since the JSF award in 2001,

Het is maar wat je Major noemt natuurlijk, maar met KC-X en de P8 beide ruim over de 30 miljard zijn dat geen kleine programmatjes.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 28/10/2015 | 14:30 uur
Seven Ways to Make the LRS-B Program a Success

Center for Strategic and International Studies | October 27, 2015

The U.S. Air Force announced today that Northrop Grumman was selected to build the next bomber, known within the Pentagon as LRS-B (Long Range Strike–Bomber). This is one of the most consequential new defense programs for the foreseeable future and the only new manned combat aircraft currently in development.

The new bomber will be an essential part of the future force, providing the ability to penetrate enemy air defenses and strike targets over great distances—quite literally putting the "global" in the Air Force's global precision strike mission.

Barring a successful protest that forces a do over, the LRS-B competition is done, but the long and potentially perilous development phase of the acquisition process is just beginning.

Many things can (and often do) go wrong in defense acquisitions, but here are seven things the military, contractor team, and Congress can do to help keep the program on track.

Het rapport als pdf bestand.
http://csis.org/files/publication/151027_Harrison_LRS-B_Program_Commentary.pdf

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/168243/seven-ways-to-make-the-lrs_b-program-a-success.html
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 29/10/2015 | 13:22 uur
How LRS-B fits into wider nuclear modernisation efforts

Daniel Wasserbly, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly | 28 October 2015

The US Air Force (USAF) announced on 27 October that it had selected Northrop Grumman to build its new fleet of Long-Range Strike Bombers (LRS-Bs), which could possibly include about 100 aircraft.

This is major news and - if all goes well - a potential windfall for Northrop Grumman, although the secretive nature of the programme and the enticing prospect for a new-fangled aircraft perhaps overshadow the wider modernisation kicking off for the US 'nuclear triad' of bombers, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBMs), and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).

Estimates for nuclear modernisation costs vary as they use different metrics, but in January the Congressional Budget Office projected current plans would cost USD348 billion in fiscal year 2015-24, an average of about USD35 billion annually, and reach USD1 trillion total into the 2040s.

LRS-B is by no means an insignificant part of that. USAF numbers indicate that developing and buying the aircraft will cost about USD79.94 billion (in 2016 dollars): a total IHS Jane's arrived at using the service's expected average unit procurement cost of USD564 million for 100 aircraft plus USD23.54 billion in expected development costs, without factoring in life-cycle sustainment costs or future upgrades.

The figure also takes no account of the variety of equally secretive complementary systems for LRS-B to update the USAF's aerial nuclear strike capabilities. These elements include developing a Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile to replace the nuclear-capable AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile, improved sensors for target location, and new survivable communications systems.

However, this will also occur while the air force seeks to upgrade its ageing ICBMs and related infrastructure. Officials are now assessing alternatives for replacing the Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III missile through the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) programme. The USAF additionally plans to take the B61 nuclear bomb through a life-extension programme.

In one of the more costly efforts, the US Navy plans to replace its Ohio-class submarines with the Ohio-class replacement programme (ORP) and its Trident II D-5 missiles with a life-extension programme.

http://www.janes.com/article/55594/how-lrs-b-fits-into-wider-nuclear-modernisation-efforts
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 09/11/2015 | 14:11 uur
Boeing, Lockheed Martin Protest Air Force Bomber Contract Award

Boeing Co. | November 06, 2015

ST. LOUIS --- Boeing and Lockheed Martin filed a formal protest today asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the decision to award the Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) contract to Northrop Grumman.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin concluded the selection process for the Long Range Strike Bomber was fundamentally flawed. The cost evaluation performed by the government did not properly reward the contractors' proposals to break the upward-spiraling historical cost curves of defense acquisitions, or properly evaluate the relative or comparative risk of the competitors' ability to perform, as required by the solicitation.

That flawed evaluation led to the selection of Northrop Grumman over the industry-leading team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, whose proposal offers the government and the warfighter the best possible LRS-B at a cost that uniquely defies the prohibitively expensive trends of the nation's past defense acquisitions.


Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 112,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2014 were $45.6 billion.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Defense, Space & Security is a $31 billion business with 53,000 employees worldwide.

Northrop Grumman Statement on Boeing's Protest of the Long-Range Strike Bomber Program

Northrop Grumman Corp. | November 06, 2015

FALLS CHURCH, Va. --- The following is a statement by Randy Belote, vice president of strategic communications for Northrop Grumman Corporation:

"Northrop Grumman Corporation is disappointed that its former LRS-B competitors have decided to disrupt a program that is so vital to national security.

"The U.S. Air Force conducted an exceptionally thorough and disciplined process with multiple layers of review. Their process took into full account the parties' respective offerings and their relative capabilities to execute their offerings on schedule and on budget.

"Northrop Grumman offered an approach that is inherently more affordable and based on demonstrated performance and capabilities. Our record stands in contrast to that of other manufacturers' large aircraft programs of the last decade.

"As the only company to ever design and build a stealth bomber, we offered the best solution for our nation's security. We look forward to the GAO reaffirming the Defense Department's decision so we can continue work on this critically vital program."

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/168603/boeing%2C-lockheed-protest-lrs_b-award-as-northrop-scoffs.html
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 11/11/2015 | 12:04 uur
DUBAI: USAF head stands by bomber award as Northrop downs tools

By James Drew, Washington DC | 11 November 2015

The secretary of the US air force expects that selection of Northrop Grumman for the Long-Range Strike Bomber programme will hold up to scrutiny by the Government Accountability Office following Boeing's bid protest last week.

Speaking 10 November at the Dubai Air Show, Deborah Lee James said the source-selection process was very deliberate and based on multiple independent cost estimates that took into account more than just historical data.

The service issued a stop-work order to Northrop on 6 November after Boeing submitted a bid protest to at the GAO, citing a "flawed" cost evaluation process. A decision on the protest's merit is due by 16 February, 2016, according to the bid protest docket.

"If they found certain discrepancies, they could ask that we redo some of the factors," says James. "It would not necessarily be a new contract situation. It's too early to say."

Boeing along with its teammate Lockheed Martin say the "fundamentally flawed" selection process did not properly consider the team's proposals to limit the bomber's acquisition cost or its ability to execute the programme relative to Northrop.

Concerns have been raised that the selection relied too heavily on historical cost data, and didn't fully consider advances in manufacturing processes since the costly Northrop B-2 project of the 1980s and '90s.

(https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=62805)
Northrop, which built the B-2A, naturally contends the LRS-B selection process was "exceptionally thorough and disciplined".
Northrop Grumman

"Although historical costing data was part of the process, it was more complex than that," explains James. "It wasn't that and that alone. We sought a variety of outside peer reviews, outside the programme office and outside the air force, and independent cost estimates – several of them.

"It has been my experience, more often than not, that [independent estimators] do have these pesky things called data and facts on their side."

The last time Boeing protested a major aerospace contract, the air force's KC-X award to Northrop/EADS was overturned and later secured by Boeing.

That 2008 aerial tanker contract was valued at more than $35 billion, whereas LRS-B is worth more than doubt that at $80 billion for development and production of 100 stealth bombers.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-usaf-head-stands-by-bomber-award-as-northrop-418958/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 13/11/2015 | 21:22 uur
Bomber advocates target USAF's 'squishy' LRS-B requirement

By James Drew, Washington DC | 13 November 2015

Long-Range Strike Bomber advocates are calling on the US air force to drop its "squishy" requirement for 80 to 100 next-generation heavy combat aircraft to replace the B-1B and B-52 and instead focus on the "bare minimum" number of 100.

The call comes amid concern that statements by senior air force leaders about the need for "80 to 100" production bombers makes the requirement seem weak and unanalysed, which could put the programme at risk when US lawmakers decide levels of funding for the programme.

"Eighty to 100 just makes you look squishy; like your analysis wasn't rock-solid," defence analyst Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute explained at an LRS-B forum in Washington this week. "Congress is always going to take the low end of your bet.

"The air force came in with a weak opening hand, and they should just forever put a stake in the heart of 80 in the requirement and just talk about the bare minimum of 100."

David Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association's (AFA) Mitchell Institute, argues for at least 174 new bombers, comprised of 12 ready squadrons of 10 combat-coded aircraft plus another 54 for training and attrition reserve.

The debate over force structure numbers will likely feature in a looming "budget war" between competing air force priorities from now into the mid-2020s as the LRS-B programme accelerates.

When it comes to annual appropriations, Teal Group vice-president Richard Aboulafia says the $80 billion programme, recently award to Northrop Grumman, will face internal and external competition from the Lockheed Martin F-35 and Boeing KC-46, but also smaller but important demands like the T-X next-generation training jet and "JSTARS" recapitalisation.

Aboulafia contends that keeping the LRS-B subcontractor base secret also puts the programme at a disadvantage against F-35 and KC-46 because the industrial implications of those programmes and their impact on local economies are well documented and noted by lawmakers. While some defence hawks in Congress are pushing the bomber as a national security priority, "about 95%" are concerned about jobs in their districts, he says.

"More dissemination about where it's built and the economic footprint per area will get people onboard," Aboulafia said at the 10 November forum, hosted by AFA. "KC-46 and the massive subcomponent family of F-35, they'll have strong political advantage in the budgetary wars."

According to Eaglen, Pentagon officials are concerned about a general deterioration of America's technological military edge, but mostly within the air force.

Those officials are also pushing for more spending on space-based capabilities, she says, and an expensive recapitalisation of the nuclear triad, to include the new bombers as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. However, the biggest budgetary competition is between LRS-B and the funding demands for F-35 production, she says.

"The air force budget is not equipped to fully support this programme already," she says. "The bomber will compete forever with the F-35, and let's hope we don't have sore losers."

LRS-B is expected to cost $23.5 billion to develop and a further $564 million per aircraft. The award to Northrop last month is currently subject to a bid protest by the losing team, Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bomber-advocates-target-usafs-squishy-lrs-b-requi-419079/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 19/11/2015 | 09:08 uur
Advocates Call For 200 Next-Generation Bombers

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers and analysts renewed calls Wednesday for the Pentagon to build significantly more next-generation bombers than currently planned, arguing that the Air Force needs a fleet of 200 advanced bombers to project power in a more dangerous world.

In study released today by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Moeller made the case for the Pentagon to procure a modernized bomber force of 200 aircraft by 2045.

"America desperately needs to rebuild its bomber force, starting with the [Long Range Strike Bomber] and then moving forward," Moeller said. "100 new bombers, the analysis finds, is not enough."

..../....

voor gehele artikel zie onderstaande LINK
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/strike/2015/11/18/advocates-call-200-next-generation-bombers/76016714/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 21/11/2015 | 17:16 uur
Calls for Pentagon to raise combat-coded bomber count to 160

By James Drew, Washington DC | 20 November 2015

Air power advocates in Washington have called for the Pentagon to consider building to a force of 150 to 160 mission-ready heavy bombers before the Boeing B-1 and B-52 retire in 2045.

According to estimates presented in a new report by the Mitchell Institute, America would need to muster 258 heavy bombers to succeed in a large-scale conflict with Russia if 50% of the targets in 180 days of campaigning were assigned to long-range bombers.

Using the same calculations, 103 bombers would be needed to strike 40% of an estimated 81,925 potential targets in Iran over 60 days. Sixty bombers could be needed to win against North Korea, the report states.

The analysis by former USAF strategic plans and programs chief Michael Moeller comes as the US air force embarks on a major recapitalisation of its outdated bomber inventory through the $80 billion Long-Range Strike Bomber programme – awarded to Northrop Grumman in October.

Moeller, who details his analysis in his report published this week, contends that the quantities of bombers procured should be strategy-driven and not solely influenced by tight budgets.

He believes the service needs to buy "a minimum of 100" LRB-B weapon systems, but the total bomber force should be nearer to 200 to sustain 150 to 160 combat-coded aircraft.

Seven DOD bomber force structure examinations since the Air Force White Paper in 1992 established various optimal inventory numbers, but since 2001 the requirement has been for 157 bombers, sustaining a combat-ready force of 96. A large percentage must always be set aside for depot maintenance, training and testing, Moeller says.

Today, the air force maintains 97 mission-ready B-1s, B-2s and B-52s out of a total inventory of 159. Of those aircraft, by the 2018 there will be 42 nuclear-armed B-52s and 18 B-2A bombers dedicated to the nuclear deterrence mission.

Moeller says based large-scale mission planning from operations like Desert Storm and Allied Force in the 1990s, the DOD must consider acquiring 200 advanced bombers to achieve current US national security strategy objectives.

"The analysis affirms the necessity of maintaining a force of 200 advanced bombers, providing an operational force of 150 to 160 aircraft to give national leaders the nuclear and conventional air-breathing power projection option to deter or defeat any foe," he writes. "A modernised bomber force of 200 aircraft will sustain America's asymmetric advantage in long-range precision strike for decades to come."

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/calls-for-pentagon-to-raise-combat-coded-bomber-coun-419354/
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 09/12/2015 | 11:17 uur
http://thediplomat.com/2015/12/the-case-for-the-centuryfortress-defining-the-b-52j/ (http://thediplomat.com/2015/12/the-case-for-the-centuryfortress-defining-the-b-52j/)

The Case for the Centuryfortress: Defining the B-52J

"With a well-considered upgrade plan, the B-52 can serve to its 100th birthday."
By Col Mike "Starbaby" Pietrucha
December 09, 2015
-Gen Nathan Twining, March 18, 1954

It seems increasingly likely that there will be a B-52 flyby for the retirement of both the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. The venerable bomber, which first flew in 1952, remains the primary component of the USAF's bomber force for both nuclear and conventional missions. Lacking the stealth of the B-2 and the speed of the B-1, the B-52 remains a frontline combat aircraft because of its exceptional range, unmatched versatility, and flexible payload options. It is debatable whether today's aviation industry could re-create an airplane with this essential mix of capabilities, but a fully modernized B-52, in combination with the new Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), would provide the USAF with an asymmetrical advantage over both China and Russia that neither is likely to match. Far from being obsolete, the Stratofortress could well serve into the 2050s, making an updated bomber well worth the effort and expense, and ushering in the B-52J Centuryfortress – the 21st century bomber.

Citaat van: Thomasen op 09/12/2015 | 11:18 uur

Background -> Zie dit topic, want bericht was te lang.

The B-52J

Under a distant interdiction strategy, the bomber becomes the premier force, provided that threats to the bomber can be mitigated. Their extremely long range allows bombers to conceivably be based on U.S. or Australian territory and conduct effective operations from a great distance, with basing out of reach of attack from ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles. The heavy payload means that a bomber can do the work of flights of fighter aircraft, provided that they have the tools required to be effective at a standoff distance from the threat. And the long flight times mean that a bomber aircraft can effectively surveil large areas of ocean, a task made easier by the restrictive maritime terrain in the region. The ideal strike aircraft in this environment is one that has long-range sensors to detect, identify, and support weapons against surface combatants from outside their effective defenses. Against the Soviet threat in the North Atlantic, the Harpoon-armed B-52G fit this bill. In the more crowded Asian littorals, against the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), a more advanced set of capabilities is necessary.

The future bomber force could consist of aircraft optimized for two different sets of conditions. LRS-B would be a penetrating aircraft, designed for survival in or around a modern air defense system. The B-52J would assume standoff roles, using longer-range weapons capabilities to strike from a distance. The shaping requirements of the LRS-B will likely preclude the massive wing of the B-52, which allows for large fuel storage, external weapons carriage, and unmatched high altitude performance. Similarly, the B-52 will never again be a penetrating aircraft, lacking as it does the speed and low observability characteristics of the LRS-B.

A modernized B-52 would improve on the airplane's basic attributes to better meet these standoff requirements. The objectives of a whole-aircraft modernization would be to extend the service life of the aircraft and adjust to the advances made by adversary systems since the initial design. Under the J proposal, the refitted bombers would receive several upgrades:

   A replacement of the ageing TF-33 turbofans with modern, low-maintenance turbofans derived from regional jet designs
   Installation of a modern AESA radar to provide broad area maritime surveillance, ship identification, situational awareness and standoff weapons employment
   Weapons certification upgrade, including JDAM-ER, JASSM-ER, Standard Missile derivatives and antiship weapons
   Certification of NASA's 25,000-lb. Aerospace Vehicle Pylon as an option in place of Heavy Stores Adapter Beam for Pegasus derivatives.
   Upgrade of communication systems to include Link-16, Iridium, BLOS communications and to provide the baseline for integration into Navy Integrated Fire Control (NIFC).
   Modernization of ESM and EA systems to provide both passive detection and self-projection jamming against the threats capable of addressing a stand-off platform
   Aircraft upgrades, including improved cooling, high-capacity electrical generation, glass cockpit, addition of an APU, removal of excess weight and RVSM compatibility
   Upper Wing Skin replacement (if necessary)

At the end of the conversion, all remaining B-52H could receive the refit, resulting in around 82 B-52J total aircraft inventory.

The Upgrades

Engines. The B-52 has been the subject of at least four major re-engining studies, the most recent having been completed by the Defense Science Board in 2004. In every case, the studies have concluded that replacement of the aged TF-33 turbofans would result in an increase in reliability, lower fuel consumption, and an overall savings, provided that the B-52 remained in service for at least another decade. The USAF has been unwilling to commit to retaining the B-52, but the J model upgrade proposed here would extend aircraft viability to at least 2050, placing the economic argument on solid ground. There are several modern engines in the regional jet class with similar dimensions and thrust ratings to the TF-33, allowing the 8-engine configuration to be retained while improving fuel consumption by at least 20 percent, eliminating the smoke trail, and maintaining the full flight envelope. Key parameters for the refit have yet to be determined – there are competing issues regarding the structural strength of the pylon and the aerodynamic shape of the engine pod. The fan diameter of the B-52H's 17,000-lb. thrust TF-33 engines is 51.5 inches, which is comparable to the most modern business-class turbofans. Examples include Rolls Royce's BR725 (52 inches / 17,000 lb.), GE's Passport 20 (51 inches / 20,000 lb.), or the Pratt & Whitney PW1217G (56 inches / 17,000 lb.); the first two engines being lighter than the TF33. A replacement would give the B-52 an unrefueled range of over 9000 nautical miles, allowing strike missions into the South China Sea to be conducted from Hawaii, New Zealand or bases in the Middle East without tanker support. The typical engine in this class has a time between overhauls of 10,000 flight hours, further reducing sustainment costs.

Radar. Improved sensor capabilities are essential in a maritime strike role. A bomber that can detect and ID enemy surface combatants from outside their weapons range has a decisive advantage, particularly against a fleet with limited or no carrier aviation. In addition, air-to-air capabilities will provide the bomber with a degree of situational awareness, reduce its dependency on airborne early warning, and allow it to effectively participate in Navy Integrated Fire Control (NIFC) networks. A modern Active Electronically Steered Array (AESA) is capable of performing surface search, imaging, air search and target track functions simultaneously, allowing a massive capability upgrade compared to the existing radar. Given that ships cannot hide very effectively on the ocean, the radar is not only the most important target acquisition tool, but the most important survivability measure as well. Existing systems may well fit the bill – the Super Hornet's AN/APG-79 is already being upgraded with long range surface search and surface target ID modes, although there are other options as well.

Weapons. The weapons upgrade would logically include JASSM and JASSM-ER, adding to the cruise missile capabilities of the aircraft and obviating the need to count on the B-1B, with its very low mission capability rates. Antiship missiles are a key component of the upgrade, be they LRASM, the Joint Strike Missile or improved Harpoon. For antisurface warfare (ASuW) missions, the capability to detect, ID and engage targets outside 150 nm would keep the bomber well outside PLAN antiair weapons range. Use of Quickstrike-ER or Quickstrike-P weapons would allow single-pass aerial mining from standoff ranges, providing a fast-response, offensive mining capability in shallow water.

It is conceivable that air to air missiles might be loaded, giving the bomber a lethal self-defense capability. Indeed, with the large external stores racks, the B-52J could pack a much longer range punch than possible with the medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAM. The USAF modified the RIM-66 SM-1 Standard missile into an air-launched antiradiation missile (ARM) in 1968; conversion of the various long-range Standard missile variants into a long range antiair or antisurface weapon would be reasonable for a bomber aircraft with large external stores capacity.

The Aerospace Test Vehicle Pylon. In 2001, NASA accepted delivery of a B-52H to replace the retiring NB-52B that had served to launch dozens of air vehicles from the X-15 to the Pegasus rocket. Prior to returning the B-52 to the USAF, NASA developed the ATV pylon, which is designed to carry a single vehicle up to 25,000 lb. weight. This would allow the B-52J to carry large air vehicles, including first-generation hypersonic vehicles or orbital systems like the Pegasus, both of which were launched from the NB-52.

Communication Systems. The incorporation of a tactical datalink will be essential for strike coordination, situational awareness and weapons guidance. Link-16 will allow for sharing of tactical data, and the installation of a TTNT terminal will allow full integration with NIFC-CA, the counterair variant of NIFC. NIFC-CA's architecture would allow for engage on remote, allowing a suitably-equipped B-52J to support antiair shots by fighters and Aegis ships – or the other way around, deepening the missile magazine in any joint engagement. With Iridium NEXT coming on line this year, the installation of an inexpensive Iridium terminal will also enhance the B-52J's beyond line of sight communications. Combined with the communications upgrade already funded for the B-52H, the complete system will give the B-52J unparalleled communications and datalink capability.

Electronic Warfare. While powerful, the B-52H's ECM suite is outdated, and is in need of an upgrade similar to that currently ongoing for the F-15C and F-15E. The large airframe of the B-52 has advantages not available to fighters, in that the aircraft is much more amenable to the installation of surveillance equipment that can detect low frequency radars and communications, and the long antenna baselines may allow single-ship target location to occur, particularly against surface targets. This is particularly important in the ASuW role, in that it will enhance the capability to detect and identify hostile surface combatants not using emissions control. In the case of lower frequency voice and data communications, a long-baseline ESM array could detect surface ships by their RF communications links, regardless of any radar or jammer activity. The potential for real-time battle management of Electronic Warfare, run by the B-52's EWO, would be enabled with the communications upgrade and a new receiver array. A modern expendables system would allow for the employment of smart decoys not currently available to the B-52H.

Subsidiary Systems. The engine upgrade would allow for a full electrical and cooling upgrade to the B-52J, which is likely to be necessary for new sensors and ECM equipment, but which will also significantly improve crew comfort in tropical climates. Since the entire package of upgrades will require the modification of the crew stations anyway, it may be worthwhile to convert the flight deck to a partial or full glass cockpit configuration and make the aircraft RVSM compliant. As with all older aircraft, the B-52H is filled with excess weight from equipment that was deactivated but not removed, including the remnants of the tail gun and fire control system, and this equipment could be removed (and replaced with nonferrous ballast, if necessary), reducing some of the corrosion control issues with the aircraft. Alternatively, the weight and volume could be partially taken up by an auxiliary power unit (APU), which would lessen the B-52's requirement on ground equipment for external power, engine start and many maintenance functions.

Upper Wing Skin. The final element of the B52J refurbishment is the replacement of the upper wing skin, which is the structural area most prone to failure if the aircraft is flown beyond the 2025 timeframe. At the current flying hour consumption of 250 hours per year, this modification is not necessary, but if airframe flying hours are increased, it becomes an issue. Absent a future structural complication identified by Boeing, this is the key element of airframe refurbishment necessary to take the B-52 well beyond a century of flight.

The B-52J in the Pacific


The refurbishment of the B-52 will allow the Stratofortress to remain dangerous and useful for the next few decades, and is of particular importance to the Pacific Theater. With a modern sensor and weapons capability, the B-52J could be the most lethal antiship capability every possessed by the US. A three-ship of Centuryfortress, required to launch from Darwin, will enter the Sulu Sea and begin patrol three hours after takeoff. With the new engines, the B-52J flight will be able to extend its mission duration to 19 hours with a full load of fuel, surveying 2.3 million square nautical miles during a 12-hour on-station time. (This assumes that the three-ship stays together and that the range of the sensors is 200nm either side of the track. From an altitude of 45,000 ft., the radar horizon extends past 260 nm either side of track, making the possible search area 30 percent larger than calculated.) If the flight encounters an enemy task force, it will be able to lunch as many as 60 antiship missiles in rapid succession – the weapons loadout of two and a half Navy fighter squadrons. Equipped with its own air-to-air radar, the B-52s may operate unescorted outside the range of land-based fighters while still maintaining awareness of air traffic.

Similarly, a flight could carry standoff weapons to a distant launch point, allowing the three-ship to strike targets or emplace a 60-mine field from standoff ranges. With full tanks overhead the field, a B-52 could strike anywhere along the Asian Coast from Taiwan into the Arctic Ocean – taking off from Hickam Field in Hawaii. With this kind of capability, the B-52 fleet will be able to execute long-range, lethal missions from standoff even under conditions where forward fighter bases are neutralized, potentially even supporting penetrating missions by LRS-B. Indeed, an upgraded bomber force could gain strategic effects against China in the absence of basing in the first island chain, allowing effective strikes from a great distance against Chinese power projection capabilities.

Today, the B-1B's mission capable rate hovers at levels too low to make the aircraft a reliable warfighting platform. The B-2's sortie rate is extremely low, although the remaining 20 aircraft fill a very special niche. The B-52 is likely to remain the backbone of the bomber force, with its amazingly long range, heavy payload, and the unparalleled flexibility granted by the ability to carry weapons or parasite aircraft externally. The dual-role nature of the aircraft also makes it a critical aspect of the nuclear enterprise, and the necessity for upgrading the bomber leg of the nuclear triad should not be discounted. With a well-considered upgrade plan, the B-52 can serve to its 100th birthday, acting as the backbone for the bomber force until the LRS-B comes on line, and partnering with that aircraft until the middle of the century.

Col. Mike "Starbaby" Pietrucha was an instructor electronic warfare officer in the F-4G Wild Weasel and the F-15E, Strike Eagle, amassing 156 combat missions and took part in 2.5 SAM kills over 10 combat deployments. As an irregular warfare operations officer, Colonel Pietrucha has two additional combat deployments in the company of US Army infantry, combat engineer, and military police units in Iraq and Afghanistan. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force or the U.S. Government.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/12/the-case-for-the-centuryfortress-defining-the-b-52j/ (http://thediplomat.com/2015/12/the-case-for-the-centuryfortress-defining-the-b-52j/)
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 09/12/2015 | 11:42 uur
Ik ben altijd van mening geweest dat MPA's door hun intrinsieke eigenschappen ook geschikt zijn om secundair als bommenwerper op te treden, omgekeerd nooit zo aan gedacht.

Zou dan wel betekenen dat de LRSB alleen de B1 vervangt, of in ieder geval in eerste instantie alleen de B1.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 09/12/2015 | 11:53 uur
Citaat van: Thomasen op 09/12/2015 | 11:42 uur
Ik ben altijd van mening geweest dat MPA's door hun intrinsieke eigenschappen ook geschikt zijn om secundair als bommenwerper op te treden, omgekeerd nooit zo aan gedacht.

Zou dan wel betekenen dat de LRSB alleen de B1 vervangt, of in ieder geval in eerste instantie alleen de B1.
Veel MPA's zijn ooit ontstaan uit bommenwerpers en sommige MPA's zijn ook daadwerkelijk ingezet als een bommenwerper en/of grondaanval toestel (d.w.z. als gunship o.i.d.).

De LRS-B moet zowel de B-1 als de B-52 vervangen. Als ze besluiten om de B-52H tot B-52J te moderniseren, dan zal dit gevolgen hebben voor de LRS-B.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 09/12/2015 | 12:02 uur
Citaat van: Sparkplug op 09/12/2015 | 11:53 uur
Veel MPA's zijn ooit ontstaan uit bommenwerpers en sommige MPA's zijn ook daadwerkelijk ingezet als een bommenwerper en/of grondaanval toestel (d.w.z. als gunship o.i.d.).

De LRS-B moet zowel de B-1 als de B-52 vervangen. Als ze besluiten om de B-52H tot B-52J te moderniseren, dan zal dit gevolgen hebben voor de LRS-B.

We vergeten de B2 in het rijtje.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 09/12/2015 | 12:09 uur
Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 09/12/2015 | 12:02 uur
We vergeten de B2 in het rijtje.
Dacht dat de B-2 pas na de B-1 en B-52 werd vervangen.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 09/12/2015 | 12:16 uur
Citaat van: Sparkplug op 09/12/2015 | 12:09 uur
Dacht dat de B-2 pas na de B-1 en B-52 werd vervangen.

Zeker, maar wel door de LRS-B, waar er eerst spraken van 80-100 exemplaren was is er nu sprake van 100 en er zijn geluiden om dit aantal te verhogen naar 160 á 200.

Uiteraard eerst maar eens zien want ook de US defensie wordt geknepen.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 09/12/2015 | 12:25 uur
idd, een zeer interessante ontwikkeling.

Straks B-52 met 4 motoren ipv de huidige 8 ?

B-52 Re-engine Resurfaces As USAF Reviews Studies

The U.S. Air Force is reviewing industry studies of fitting its 50-year-old Boeing B-52 bombers with new commercial-derivative engines, according to Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of the service's Global Strike Command.

So far, Wilson said Oct. 9 at a Washington meeting, the Air Force assesses that the change would result in a net cost savings over the remaining life of the B-52s, which are expected to fly until 2040.

Wilson did not identify the contractor that made the proposal or whether more than one company is involved. However, an industry source confirms that Boeing has presented a "concept brief" and that General Electric has looked at fitting the bomber with eight CF34-10 engines. Pratt & Whitney also is exploring options.

Fitting new engines would sharply reduce the bombers' fuel burn, and in turn reduce the need for tanker support, Wilson said. Moreover, under current commercial standards the new engines would not have to be removed for routine maintenance over the lifetime of the aircraft.

Wilson's Global Strike Command and Air Force Materiel command are examining the proposal; separately, Wilson said he wants his command to become more agile and innovative in terms of procurement and upgrade programs, and that he has worked on learning lessons from Air Force Special Operations Command in this area. One example is the Dragon's Eye demonstration this summer, in which a Northrop Grumman ASQ-236 radar targeting pod was fitted to a B-52 and flight tested in four weeks.

The main obstacles to a re-engining program could concern budgets and regulations, Wilson says. Airline operating experience would have to be used to support military airworthiness requirements, and the proposal rests on recovering an early investment through lower operating costs. Wilson notes that commanders have budgetary discretion to spend money against future energy savings when they modernize bases and other facilities, but not to modify aircraft.

This represents at least the third attempt to re-engine the B-52, which is powered by eight TF33 engines similar to those used on the Boeing 707.

Pratt & Whitney studied the idea in 1982, with four PW2000-series engines. In 1996 Boeing and Rolls-Royce jointly proposed to fit B-52s with four RB211-535s, with the government leasing the engines. The first plan was not taken up because all B-52s were to be replaced by B-1s and B-2s by the late 1990s, and the second failed because of resistance to leasing combat assets and a flawed economic assessment by the Air Force.

According to a 2004 Defense Science Board report, the USAF failed to take the cost of air refueling into account. At that time, tanker-delivered fuel cost $17.50 per gallon, 14 times the cost of fuel on the ground. The DSB task force "unanimously recommend[ed] the Air Force proceed with B-52H re-engining without delay," but no action was taken.

"Had we done it all those years ago, we'd be patting ourselves on the back today and telling everyone how smart we were," Wilson said.

GE's eight-CF34-10 option could deliver more thrust than the current engines (variants are rated at 17,640-20,360-lb. thrust) and would avoid engine-out handling issues.

Pratt & Whitney announced in May that it was launching the PW1135G-JM, aimed initially at the A321neo and rated at a 35,000-lb. thrust class, slightly more than two TF33s. The new engines would deliver an even greater performance and efficiency improvement than the engines proposed in 1996.

The RB211-535 has been out of production since the end of the Boeing 757 line in 2004, and the last F117s (military PW2000s) are being delivered with the final C-17s, so neither engine is a strong candidate today.

http://aviationweek.com/defense/b-52-re-engine-resurfaces-usaf-reviews-studies

PW1135G-JM
http://www.pw.utc.com/Press/Story/20140520-0902/2014/All%20Categories
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 09/12/2015 | 12:27 uur
Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 09/12/2015 | 12:16 uur
Zeker, maar wel door de LRS-B, waar er eerst spraken van 80-100 exemplaren was is er nu sprake van 100 en er zijn geluiden om dit aantal te verhogen naar 160 á 200.

Hold your horses. Het zijn plannen Jurrien, het kan nog alle kanten op.
Het zou niet vreemd zijn als er een fiks aantal van deze toestellen gekocht wordt en dit de nieuwe standaard wordt. Maar 200 van deze toestellen is ook een behoorlijke kostenpost, en ja, ook het Pentagon, The Hill en het WH zit vol met zeeuwse meisjes.

Daarbij kan de aanschaf van deze systemen niet los gezien worden van andere discussies, zoals de minuteman replacement, Ohio replacement, ontwikkelingen van prompt global strike, UCAV's, en natuurlijk de (pork barrel) politics.

Er is niemand op de planeet die weet hoeveel van die dingen gekocht gaan worden, en welke rollen ze gaan vervullen. Daar is het gewoon nog te vroeg voor.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 09/12/2015 | 12:33 uur
eerst al dat er F-15 en F-16 ge upgrade of nieuw gebouwd zouden worden om door te vliegen tot ruim na 2040
en nu de ontwikkeling rondom upgraden van de B-52

heeft alles te maken met budget.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: dudge op 09/12/2015 | 12:47 uur
Citaat van: Harald op 09/12/2015 | 12:33 uur
eerst al dat er F-15 en F-16 ge upgrade of nieuw gebouwd zouden worden om door te vliegen tot ruim na 2040
en nu de ontwikkeling rondom upgraden van de B-52

heeft alles te maken met budget.

Vooral het gebrek aan projectmanagement en de focus op het budget daarbij, met als gevolg dat er nu voornamelijk zeer complexe, dure en niet altijd effectieve oplossingen zijn in te kleine nummers, waarbij plan B vaak neerkomt op het oude model nog maar eens upgraden danwel nieuw bouwen, wat dus ook veel gebeurd is. Natuurlijk merkt ook de US military dat het budget flink daalt, maar nog steeds beschikken over een groot deel van de wereldwijde defensieuitgaven, daar moet dus echt wel wat mee mogelijk zijn.
Titel: Re:Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 26/02/2016 | 16:15 uur
USAF reveals Northrop's B-21 long-range strike bomber

By James Drew, Orlando | 26 February 2016

The US Air Force has revealed its bomber for the 21st century, the Northrop Grumman B-21 long-range strike bomber.

The official designation comes as the air force for the first time releases an artist's rendering of the still-classified bomber — a flying wing design similar to the Northrop B-2 and the company's concept for the previous Next-Generation Bomber (NGB) project.

The air force hasn't purchased a new bomber in this century and is still dependent on 54-year-old Boeing B-52H and 28-year-old B-1B. Its 21-year-old B-2 Spirit, the only in-service stealth bomber, will be in use through 2060, officials say.

Revealed at the closing of her "state of the air force" address in Orlando, Florida today, USAF secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the official B-21 designation to rapturous applause.

"Our fifth-generation global precision attack platform will give our country a networked sensor-shoot capability that will allow us to hold targets at risk in a way the world and our adversaries have never, ever seen," says James.

(https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=66031)
US Air Force

Many bomber experts have been pushing the B-3 tag as a sequential follow-on to the B-1 and B-2. However, Mitchell Institute dean David Deptula believes the new designation reflects that fact that it is the air force's premier bomber platform for the 21st century.

"It's not surprising in terms of the shape based on the physics of low observability, but it's good that we have an artist's rendering out and the designation is a good one too," says the former three-star air force officer.

The air force picked Northrop's design in October and is proceeding with development after the US Government Accountability Office rejected losing team Boeing and Lockheed Martin's bid protest.

The new stealth bomber will cost $23.5 billion to develop and is worth $564 million per aircraft, according to US government estimates.

USAF wants 100 B-21s, but Deptula believes the true requirement should be 174.

"We need 174 of them," he tells Flightglobal after the announcement. "We need a minimum of one squadron for 12 air expeditionary forces to establish the rotational base requirement during peace time to be able to shape and maintain peace and stability around the world.

"We need that number to maintain the ability to support our national security strategy to engage in two major regional conflicts if, in fact, it's necessary to go to war, particularly in the advanced threat environment that has been growing."

Northrop's bomber team was characteristically coy in its response to the unveiling: "Northrop Grumman is proud to serve as the prime contractor for the B-21 Bomber in partnership with the US Air Force, to deliver a capability that is vital to our national security. Any further questions should be directed to the air force."

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-reveals-northrops-b-21-long-range-strike-bombe-422459/
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 21/04/2016 | 09:26 uur
USAF basing revised bomber count on 'minimum' of 100 B-21s

By James Drew, Washington DC | 20 April 2016

US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) expects to complete an analysis of its bomber force numbers by the end of this calendar year, but already says that number will be based around a "minimum" operational requirement for 100 Northrop Grumman B-21s.

The major command's chief Gen Robin Rand said at the Air Warfare Symposium in February that America's needs somewhere between "175 and 200" combined strategic and conventional bombers.

The command counts 159 bombers in its inventory today including the B-1B, B-52H and B-2A.

"AFGSC continues to analyse the required future bomber force structure which includes successfully fielding a minimum of 100 B-21s," an AFGSC spokeswoman says in an email. "AFGSC is very focused on ensuring we are ready with properly trained operators and maintainers for the B-21. The minimum of 100 B-21s that we intend to field will fly with a mix of legacy bombers and the total number of bombers required is still being evaluated."

The air force has moved forward with its $80 billion bomber acquisition after teammates Boeing and Lockheed Martin unsuccessfully challenged the selection of Northrop.

The secretive B-21 aircraft, powered by an undisclosed Pratt & Whitney engine, will enter service sometime in the mid-2020s. It will replace the B-1 and B-52, and eventually the Northrop B-2.

(https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=66230)
Northrop Grumman B-21 concept image
US Air Force

However, if Global Strike's bomber count is bumped up, the air force may retain some of those old bombers for longer until the B-21 is fielded in greater quantities.

"Eventually, the B-21 will replace much of the legacy bomber fleet," AFGSC confirms. "We must continue to sustain and modernise the B-1, B-2 and B-52 until sufficient B-21's are operational.

"This process will not occur overnight, it will take time to manufacture B-21s in addition to organising and training aircrew and maintainers. One main focus is to ensure we are able to meet current taskings and US Central Command requirements by sustaining and modernising our current bomber force. The other is successfully fielding a minimum of 100 B-21s."

(https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=61200)
US Air Force

In introduced in the 1960s, the B-52H is currently expected to remain in service until its 80th anniversary. It's currently being equipped with a smart rotary launcher to carry smart weapons like the Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and Raytheon ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy-Jammer (MALD-J) internally.

This month, B-52s from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana arrive at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar to join the air campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, assuming the mission from the B-1Bs that brought home for maintenance and upgrades.

Though it's equipped for nuclear war, air force officials say the new aircraft will operate as a conventional munitions truck and "battle network node" in its day-to-day role.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-basing-revised-bomber-count-on-minimum-of-100-424433/
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 19/09/2016 | 18:30 uur
Air Force Unveils Name of Future Stealth Bomber as B-21 'Raider'

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/19/air-force-unveils-name-of-future-b21-bomber-as-tk.html?ESRC=todayinmil.sm
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 20/09/2016 | 07:41 uur
Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 19/09/2016 | 18:30 uur
Air Force Unveils Name of Future Stealth Bomber as B-21 'Raider'

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/19/air-force-unveils-name-of-future-b21-bomber-as-tk.html?ESRC=todayinmil.sm

Beter Raider dan Nuts of Snicker  ;D

Om bij oude Northrop namen te blijven, had ik voor Black Widow (Northrop P-61) gekozen.
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 26/05/2017 | 07:50 uur
Officials: the 'Right' Number of B-21 Stealth Bombers Is 165

https://www.dodbuzz.com/2017/05/25/officials-the-right-number-of-b-21-stealth-bombers-is-165/#.WSfB0iczt70.twitter
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 29/10/2017 | 08:00 uur
Analysis: Weapons & Tech for New Air Force B-21 Stealth Bomber

https://scout.com/military/warrior/Article/Analysis-Weapons-Tech-for-New-Air-Force-B-21-Stealth-Bomber-109629445
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 13/02/2018 | 09:32 uur
USAF plans to consolidate bomber fleet to B-21 and B-52 (https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-plans-to-consolidate-bomber-fleet-to-b-21-and-b-445845/)

FlightGlobal
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 29/04/2018 | 11:29 uur
Retired General Says F-22 Production Was Killed So That A New Bomber Could Live

Other revelations include the Next Generation Bomber was to be armed with air-to-air missiles and the B-21 is indeed one part of a family of systems.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/20472/retired-general-says-f-22-production-was-killed-so-that-a-new-bomber-could-live
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 26/02/2019 | 10:26 uur
Rolls-Royce Will Build F130 in Indianapolis If It Wins B-52 Re-Engining

Rolls-Royce has officially selected the F130, a variant of the commercial BR700, as its entrant in the B-52 re-engining competition, and will build the powerplant at its freshly renovated Indianapolis, Ind., facility if it wins the contract, company Vice President for Military Strategic Systems John Kusnierek told reporters during a telecon Monday.

Rolls said it has invested $600 million over the last few years in its Indianapolis plant, and Kusnierek said the upgrades were designed for "this-sized engine." The company anticipates it will hire 150 additional engineering, manufacturing, and program management workers in Indianapolis if it wins the B-52 re-engining contest. The facility has new digital design capabilities, as well as improved "efficiency and capacity," which Kusnierek said will be important for the competition.

Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper said last September he anticipates a "digital flyoff" among competing engines for the B-52 work.

Indianapolis is the site of Rolls' "Liberty Works" advanced development shop, and the company said it has invested $1 billion in Research and development in the last six years. 

Kusnierek said the F130—also flying on USAF's E-11 BACN and C-37—will undergo final assembly, test, and integration in Indianapolis, but declined to discuss the specific amount of US part content, saying only there is "variety" in the F130 supply chain. The F130 will be an "American" engine, he asserted.

General Electric and Pratt & Whitney also are expected to offer engines for the B-52 program. The fiscal year 2020 defense budget request is expected to offer details on the timeline of the B-52 re-engining program. 

The B-52 work "fits perfectly with our plans" for Indianapolis, Kusnierek asserted, and the F130, given its 17,000 pounds of thrust and physical size, is a "perfect fit" for the venerable bomber. The company also produces engines for the C-130J transport, CV-22 Osprey, and Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft at the Indianapolis facility. Rolls has previously said it would likely offer the F130 for the B-52 contest.

The Air Force is seeking a commercial, off-the-shelf replacement for the Pratt & Whitney TF33 engine, which was original equipment on the eight-engined B-52H, the last of which was built in 1962. The service seeks a one-for-one replacement of the TF33, with new powerplants clustered in four two-engine nacelles per jet. For its fleet of 76 B-52s, the Air Force needs over 600 engines, plus some spares. Rolls pegged the requirement at 650 engines.

Rolls noted that it has amassed 22 million flight hours on the BR700 series, and "over 200,000 combat hours" with the F130 in USAF service. Rolls said it employs 6,000 people in the US, and indirectly supports 52,000 jobs in 27 states.

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/February%202019/Rolls-Royce-Will-Build-F130-in-Indianapolis-if-it-wins-B-52-Re-Engining.aspx
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 27/02/2019 | 10:12 uur
Northrop Grumman to offer AN/APG-83 for B-52 radar upgrade program

https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-scalable-agile-beam-radar-provides-proven-capability-for-multiple-platforms
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 29/03/2019 | 10:21 uur
Air Force announces Ellsworth AFB as first B-21 base

https://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/News/Article/1797946/air-force-announces-ellsworth-afb-as-first-b-21-base/
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 06/04/2019 | 12:18 uur
The New B-21 Stealth Bomber: Flying Much Sooner Than Expected?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/new-b-21-stealth-bomber-flying-much-sooner-expected-51172
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 25/07/2019 | 10:39 uur
B-21 to Fly in December 2021; More B-52s to Come Out of Boneyard

http://airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/July%202019/B-21-to-Fly-in-December-2021-More-B-52s-to-Come-Out-of-Boneyard.aspx
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 23/08/2019 | 09:23 uur
Northrop Grumman Expands Plant 42 as B-21 Continues Development

http://airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/August%202019/Northrop-Grumman-Expands-Plant-42-as-B-21-Continues-Development.aspx
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 17/09/2019 | 08:48 uur
B-21 on Schedule, Edwards to Reactivate Test Squadron for the Raider

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/September%202019/B-21-on-Schedule-Edwards-to-Reactivate-Test-Squadron-for-the-Raider.aspx

(https://www.defensieforum.nl/Forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.airforcemag.com%2FFeatures%2FPublishingImages%2F2019%2FSeptember%25202019%2FB21_illustration.jpg&hash=9fd47ef1a441447feb12283de1b09453509bfb47)
Staff illustration by Mike Tsukamoto.
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 25/10/2019 | 09:40 uur
B-21 Taking Shape, Though RCO Hedges on First Flight Date

http://airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/October%202019/B-21-Taking-Shape-Though-RCO-Hedges-on-First-Flight-Date.aspx
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 11/11/2019 | 19:57 uur
Ten Things We Know For Sure About The Air Force's Secret B-21 Bomber via @forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2019/11/08/ten-things-we-know-for-sure-about-the-air-forces-secret-b-21-bomber/#6c6fc19f1caf
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 15/11/2019 | 09:46 uur
Report to Congress on Air Force B-21 Raider Long Range Strike Bomber

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/14/report-to-congress-on-air-force-b-21-raider-long-range-strike-bomber

Rapport update 13-11-2019

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6549373/Air-Force-B-21-Raider-Long-Range-Strike-Bomber.pdf
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 05/12/2019 | 09:50 uur
The Raider Takes Shape

https://www.airforcemag.com/article/the-raider-takes-shape/

Klik voor vergroting
(https://www.airforcemag.com/app/uploads/2019/11/Comparing-stealth-bombers.png)
Comparing Stealth Bombers. Graphic: Dash Parham/staff; Illustration: Mike Tsukamoto/staff
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Huzaar1 op 05/12/2019 | 13:18 uur
Een van de onduidelijkste infographics die ik in m n leven heb gezien.

Als niet ingewijde in luchtdingen... is het onduidelijk wat er nu aan de hand is. Welk type actueel is, wat moet ik met die artist impression? Waar is die van en welk toestel willen ze nu waar precies kwijt op welke basis?

Gaat de b21 vliegen naast de b2? Komt er een nieuwe op basis van die arist impression? Is de raider de nieuwe? Nogmaals wat doet die concept art daar dan?
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 05/12/2019 | 13:42 uur
Citaat van: Huzaar1 op 05/12/2019 | 13:18 uur
Een van de onduidelijkste infographics die ik in m n leven heb gezien.

Als niet ingewijde in luchtdingen... is het onduidelijk wat er nu aan de hand is. Welk type actueel is, wat moet ik met die artist impression? Waar is die van en welk toestel willen ze nu waar precies kwijt op welke basis?

Gaat de b21 vliegen naast de b2? Komt er een nieuwe op basis van die arist impression? Is de raider de nieuwe? Nogmaals wat doet die concept art daar dan?

De B-21 is kleiner dan de B-2 (zie spanwijdte) en heeft ook een kleinere wapenlast (60.000 lbs om 30.000 lbs). Verder laten ze de geannuleerde NGB zien. Dit is ter vergelijking met de B-2 en B-21.

Uiteindelijk wordt de B-2 door de B-21 vervangen.

Gewenste stationering B-21:
Gevecht operationeel: Dyess AFB, Ellsworth AFB en Whiteman AFB
Onderhoud: Tinker AFB
Ondersteuning: Hill AFB en Robbins AFB

Onderstaande een link met alle USAF/AFRes/ANG eenheden en bases wereldwijd.

https://www.af.mil/AF-Sites/srBaseList/A/#A
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 05/12/2019 | 16:38 uur
Citaat van: Huzaar1 op 05/12/2019 | 13:18 uur
Een van de onduidelijkste infographics die ik in m n leven heb gezien.


Om het nog duidelijk te maken. de getoonde render is wel of niet de afbeelding van een B-21 Bij de product presentatie weten we pas hoe het apparaat er uit gaat zien.
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Huzaar1 op 05/12/2019 | 16:55 uur
Check. Tanks lui.
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 02/02/2020 | 11:46 uur
B-21 Images Show New Details of Secret Bomber

https://www.airforcemag.com/b-21-images-show-new-details-of-secret-bomber/

(https://www.airforcemag.com/app/uploads/2020/01/01312020_B-21_Ellsworth-Rendering-900x600.jpg)
Artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., one of the future bases to host the new airframe. Northrop Grumman courtesy photo via USAF.
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 12/08/2020 | 09:45 uur
SecDef visits B-21 facilities in Florida

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published August 03, 2020

MELBOURNE, Fla (AFNS) --
Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper, visited the B-21 Raider design and development headquarters at Northrop Grumman, to witness the progress being made on the nation's most cutting edge dual-capable stealth bomber.

"Nuclear modernization is a department priority – especially in our efforts to implement the National Defense Strategy. We have made great strides in ensuring the strength and reliability of our nation's nuclear deterrent. The ability to strike any target, anywhere is the ultimate strategic deterrent and the B-21 Raider will bring that capability," Esper said.

"I am thoroughly impressed by the dedication and progress across the B-21 Raider team."

During the visit, engineers explained how the B-21 Raider uses digital engineering, prototyping and modern software development. The team also described to Esper how the B-21 Raider incorporates lessons from past programs to improve producibility and maintainability, which will enable more efficient production and sustainment. Furthermore, the use of open systems architectures preserves the ability to effectively adapt to future threats.

Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command, joined Esper on the facility tour.

"We're excited to get the B-21 Raider to bases in the mid-2020s. The progress I saw today further adds to my confidence that the B-21 Raider will preserve our long range strike and penetrating bomber capability," Ray said.

Randy Walden, director of the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and program executive officer for the B-21 Raider program, described the parallel efforts ongoing in Palmdale, California, and throughout the country to expand the production capacity across the supply base: "The first test aircraft is being built, and it's starting to look like an airplane. Suppliers from across the country are delivering parts that are coming together now. Aircraft programs will always have a few surprises early on, and we won't be any different, but overall the B-21 Raider is coming along nicely," Walden said.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2298433/secdef-visits-b-21-facilities-in-florida/
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 01/09/2020 | 12:41 uur
US Air Force delays first B-21 flight

01 SEPTEMBER 2020

by Pat Host

The US Air Force (USAF) is now expecting the first flight of its Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider long range strike bomber (LRSB) to take place no earlier than 2022, slightly later than the late 2021 timeframe the service previously expected.

Major General Mark Weatherington, Eighth Air Force commander, said on 31 August that the USAF could also make the aircraft's initial operational capability (IOC) date earlier, depending if it accelerates deliveries. This does not mean the aircraft would be delivered earlier, he said, but instead would represent a steeper ramp-up. Matthew Donovan, former USAF undersecretary, said in January 2018 that the B-21's IOC was scheduled for the mid-2020s.

The Eighth Air Force is responsible for the service's bomber force and airborne nuclear command and control (C2) assets. The air force currently has 157 bombers: 61 Rockwell B-1B Lancers, 76 Boeing B-52H Stratofortresses, and 20 Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit strategic bombers.

The USAF is planning for a major revamp of its bomber force. It will modernise its B-52H fleet with new engines, radars, and communication systems, among others. The air force wants to start retiring its B-1Bs now while it will start retiring its fleet of B-2s once the B-21 comes online. The USAF proposed in its fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget request to reduce its bomber fleet from 157 aircraft to 140 by retiring 17 B-1Bs.

Already a Janes subscriber? Read the full article via the Client Login

(https://www.janes.com/images/default-source/news-images/fg_3665929-jdw-7720.jpg?sfvrsn=9b81e42f_2)
Artist's rendering of a B-21 concept in a hangar at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The USAF has delayed the first flight of its B-21 to no earlier than 2022 after previously targeting late 2021. (Northrop Grumman)

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-air-force-delays-first-b-21-flight
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Harald op 29/10/2020 | 15:36 uur
U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin Further Efforts to Transform Airlifters into Potent Strike Weapon Platforms 

The U.S. Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) Office awarded Lockheed Martin a $25 million contract to support the next phase of the service's Palletized Munitions Experimentation Campaign.

The fourth phase includes a system-level demonstration in 2021 and continues to assess the potential to deliver large volumes of air-launched weapons via airlifters.

"Despite the Palletized Munitions program being relatively new, it's moving very quickly," said Scott Callaway, Lockheed Martin Advanced Strike Systems director. "The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) contracting and Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) offices, and Lockheed Martin teams established this new contract in a record time of 30 days, supporting faster prototyping and a shorter timeline to bring this advanced capability to the warfighter in the field."

Initial studies show that airlifters have the potential to deploy large quantities of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missiles, providing a significant increase in long-range standoff scale and complementing traditional strike and bomber aircrafts. This innovative approach enables warfighters to launch offensive operations from a greater number of airfields and engage a larger number of near-peer adversarial targets.

The overall goal of the experimentation is to develop a modular system to deliver air-launched weapons, leveraging standard airdrop procedures and operations. The system will have the ability to be rolled on and off multiple types of aircraft, including the C-17 and C-130.

Phase I successfully accomplished five high-altitude airdrops from an MC-130J (manufactured by Lockheed Martin) and a C-17 earlier this year using simulated weapons. During this effort, the U.S. Air Force tested the suitability of launching JASSM-ERs from an airlifter. JASSM is a long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missile for the U.S. and allied forces designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets.

https://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/214041/usaf-contracts-study-to-transform-airlifters-in-weapon-platforms.html
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 09/12/2020 | 17:43 uur
Secret Bomber Programs Set For Possible Rollouts In 2021

https://aviationweek.com/aerospace-defense-2021/defense-space/secret-bomber-programs-set-possible-rollouts-2021
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 17/01/2021 | 22:57 uur
Second B-21 Under Construction as Bomber Moves Toward First Flight

https://www.airforcemag.com/second-b-21-under-construction-as-bomber-moves-toward-first-flight/
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 05/03/2021 | 09:39 uur
B-21 Bomber Shelter May Reveal Size of Secret Jet

https://www.airforcemag.com/b-21-bomber-shelter-may-reveal-size-of-secret-jet/
Titel: Re: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability
Bericht door: Sparkplug op 07/07/2021 | 10:06 uur
Air Force releases new B-21 Raider artist rendering

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published July 06, 2021

(https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/06/2002756824/780/780/0/210706-F-AF000-1316.JPG)
Shown is a B-21 Raider artist rendering graphic. The rendering highlights the future stealth bomber with Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., as the backdrop. Designed to perform long range conventional and nuclear missions and to operate in tomorrow's high end threat environment, the B-21 will be a visible and flexible component of the nuclear triad. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

WASHINGTON (AFNS) --
The Air Force released a new B-21 Raider artist rendering graphic with an accompanying fact sheet today. As with past renderings, this rendering is an artist's interpretation of the B-21 design.

The new rendering highlights the future stealth bomber with Edwards Air Force Base, California, as the backdrop. The 420th Flight Test Squadron based at Edwards AFB will plan, test, analyze and report on all flight and ground testing of the B-21 Raider.

The B-21 program continues to execute the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase and is focused on scaling the manufacturing infrastructure and capacity across the industrial supply base to prepare for low rate initial production. A critical design review conducted in 2018 concluded the aircraft has a mature and stable design.

Designed to perform long range conventional and nuclear missions and to operate in tomorrow's high end threat environment, the B-21 will be a visible and flexible component of the nuclear triad.

"Nuclear modernization is a top priority for the Department of Defense and the Air Force, and B-21 is key to that plan," said Randall Walden, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director. "The built-in feature of open systems architecture on the B-21 makes the bomber effective as the threat environment evolves. This aircraft design approach sets the nation on the right path to ensuring America's enduring airpower capability."

The Air Force plans to incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit bombers to form a two-bomber fleet of B-21s and modified B-52s. The B-21 program is on track to deliver B-21s to the first operational base, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, in the mid-2020s.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2683003/air-force-releases-new-b-21-raider-artist-rendering/

Fact sheet.

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/2682973/b-21-raider/