{"id":1765919,"date":"2022-12-07T06:30:21","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T11:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1765919"},"modified":"2022-12-07T09:35:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T14:35:15","slug":"these-eight-features-show-the-new-b-21-raider-is-not-the-b-2-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-eight-features-show-the-new-b-21-raider-is-not-the-b-2-1\/","title":{"rendered":"These Eight Features Show the New B-21 Raider Is Not the B-2.1"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthese-eight-features-show-the-new-b-21-raider-is-not-the-b-2-1%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1765919&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"share-buttons for-small\">\n<p>          <span class=\"share-label\">Share Article<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n<p>The unveiling of the new B-21 bomber was staged to keep many of its innovations under wraps, but more than 34 years of technological advances since the B-2\u2019s 1988 rollout were clearly in evidence.<\/p>\n<p>A senior Northrop Grumman official, briefing reporters before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=chJlJgrvfBY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Dec. 2 rollout<\/a> of the B-21, called the aircraft \u201cthe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airandspaceforces.com\/b-21-to-be-capable-of-holding-at-risk-any-target-on-the-face-of-the-earth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most advanced<\/a> stealth aircraft ever built,\u201d with heavy emphasis on making it a \u201cdaily flyer,\u201d meaning its maintenance has been streamlined such that it can perform multiple sorties per day without extensive touchups of its stealth features.<\/p>\n<p>Although the official said the majority of what makes the B-21 a \u201csixth-generation\u201d combat aircraft is \u201con the inside,\u201d a number of external features point to its evolution from the technology of the B-2, which is also a stealthy flying wing. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4><strong>1. Intakes<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Perhaps the most striking features of the B-21 are its slender, barely-there air intakes. Unlike the higher-rise, scalloped intakes on the B-2, the B-21\u2019s are almost organically a part of its wing root. That\u2019s good for stealth\u2014radar loves abrupt angles and big cavities\u2014but the intakes are so thin and shallow, \u00a0they seem hardly big enough to swallow enough air to feed the B-21\u2019s engines.<\/p>\n<p>However, a leading aerodynamicist told <em>Air &#038; Space Forces Magazine<\/em> that \u201cas long as you have enough inlet area to accept the required mass flow of air, your engines will work fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u201creal trick,\u201d he said, \u201cis designing an inlet that can handle the distortions and gradients caused by the fact that the air is moving over significant surface area of the inlet before being ingested. That\u2019s more a matter of tailoring the channel shape in the inlet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Magnification of images released by the Air Force of the B-21 show a vertical vane in the inlet.<\/p>\n<p>Having the inlet close to the leading edge could also make use of the \u201cKutta effect,\u201d he said: \u201cthe tendency of a fluid to remain attached to a surface rather than separating.\u201d Oversimplified, that means that air moving up and over the leading edge of the wing would flow directly into the inlet, instead of up and over the inlet itself. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The advantage of such slender inlets is that there is less of a cavity for search radars to find, and even less chance of detecting the B-21\u2019s engine fan blades, which are a huge radar reflector. On the B-2, the engines are hidden behind serpentine ducting that shields them from direct view.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, at a McAleese\/Credit Suisse conference, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), in an unusual disclosure of progress on the classified program, said the B-21 was largely on track but had suffered some setbacks with engine airflow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a very, very different design as far as airflow,\u201d Wittman revealed at the time, \u201cand there have been some design challenges there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There were differences of opinion between engine contractor Pratt &#038; Whitney and the \u201cducting contractor,\u201d Wittman said, with the latter complaining, \u201c\u2018There\u2019s only so much air we can move through there,\u2019 and Pratt &#038; Whitney says, \u2018No, we need a certain amount of air to go through the front of the engine.\u2019 Then the question is: How do you do that? Do you split [the difference] between the two?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pratt &#038; Whitney wanted more air at the inlet, but that would have affected the low-observable design, Wittman reported.<\/p>\n<p>The engine and ducting all have to work together, Wittman observed, adding that \u201call those things are elements that you would normally expect in an aircraft that\u2019s new, that takes a concept from B-2, refines and uses it on this platform.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>2. Size<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Despite persistent rumors\u2014and some defense official comments\u2014that the B-21 would be substantially smaller than the B-2, that was not apparent at the rollout. A rough approximation of the wingspan, made possible by the presence of a B-2 at a Northrop Grumman aircraft a few feet away, suggests the wingspan of the B-21 is perhaps only 22 feet or so shorter than that of the B-2, which would indicate a span of about 150 feet. However, this estimation is fraught because the angle of wing sweepback on the B-21 may be deeper than that of the B-2. A close encounter with the draped B-21 minutes before the unveiling indicated it may have a deeper sweep angle than the B-21, but whether it has a \u201ccranked\u201d or bent shape was unclear.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-1024x576-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-176906\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-1024x576-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.airandspaceforces.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-768x432-1.png 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-1536x864-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-2048x1152-1.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-550x309-1.png 550w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-800x450-1.png 800w, https:\/\/www.airandspaceforces.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-250x141.png 250w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-21-Screenshot-1-1000x563-1.png 1000w\" \/><figcaption>The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony Dec. 2, 2022, in Palmdale, Calif. Screenshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><strong>3. Depth<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The B-21 has a decidedly deeper and broader keel than the B-2, implying larger weapons bays and potentially more internal fuel. Like the B-2, the B-21 will operate from continental U.S. bases, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in his rollout remarks. The aircraft overall, however, clearly sits on its landing gear higher than the B-2 does. The gear are also two-wheel bogeys rather than the four-wheel bogeys on the B-2.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>4. Smoothness<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>While Herculean efforts were made to make the B-2 as smooth as possible\u2014to thwart radar pickups of seams, panel lines, and protruding fastener heads\u2014the B-21 gave the appearance of an almost sanded-smooth finish, with no shadows or breaks, even at the edges of its canopy. Northrop Grumman officials said the B-21 program has thoroughly dispensed with the methods used on the B-2, such as tape and caulk, to smooth out those breaks in the surface. The B-2\u2019s skin is also designed to be resilient enough that the aircraft can make multiple sorties per day in full stealth mode, whereas the B-2 needed low-observable touch-ups after ever mission. Company officials at the rollout said the B-2 has benefitted from techniques used on the B-21 to reduce the use of tape and improve the aircraft\u2019s stealth resiliency.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>5. Cockpit Transparencies<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Unlike the B-2\u2019s four-window wrap-around windscreen, the B-21 has an unusual geometry of two trapezoidal forward windows and two long side widows. The edges of the windows seemed thoroughly contiguous with the airplane\u2019s solid surfaces; no seams, edges or framing seemed in evidence. Coupled with the B-21\u2019s deeper keel, the impression of a \u201cflying saucer\u201d is pronounced, though surely unintentional.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"B-21\" class=\"wp-image-176904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-300x200-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-768x512-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-1536x1024-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-900x600-1.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-550x367-1.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-675x450-1.jpg 675w, https:\/\/www.airandspaceforces.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538113-1000x667-1.jpg 1000w\" \/><figcaption>The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony Dec. 2, 2022, in Palmdale, Calif. Air Force photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><strong>6. Gear Doors<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The landing gear doors on the B-21 are more simplified than the serrated-edge doors on the B-2. The \u201ctail code\u201d of ED\u2014for Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where testing will take place\u2014appeared on the main gear doors, just as the tail codes of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., appear on the B-2\u2019s gear doors. The first B-21 bears the serial \u201c00001.\u201d Stenciled on the aircraft just below the nose of the B-21 is the stylized wing symbol of Northrop Grumman flight test.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>7. \u2018Hawk\u2019s Beak\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The B-2 has a pronounced \u201cbeak\u201d at the very tip of its leading edge. A brief side view of the B-21 at the rollout showed that feature also exists on the new bomber, though it is set further ahead of the windscreen and is longer and flatter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-177061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-300x200-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-768x512-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-1536x1024-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-900x600-1.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-550x367-1.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-675x450-1.jpg 675w, https:\/\/www.airandspaceforces.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538112-1-1000x667-1.jpg 1000w\" \/><figcaption>The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony December 2, 2022 in<\/p>\n<p>Palmdale, Calif. Designed to operate in tomorrow\u2019s high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America\u2019s enduring airpower capability. U.S. Air Force photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><strong>8. Color<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>While the B-2 wears wrap-around FS 36118 \u201cGunship Gray\u201d paint with variations around taped areas, effective for night operations, the B-21 wears an overall light gray, possibly FS36375 \u201cLight Compass Ghost Gray,\u201d which may aid in reducing its visual and infrared signature in the daytime.<\/p>\n<p>More details of the B-21 are not expected for some time. The tail of the aircraft was not visible at the rollout, and program officials said they plan to keep that area under wraps as long as possible.<\/p>\n<p>However, the reason for the B-21 being rolled out at this time is that it will soon be performing outside-the-factory engine runs and taxi tests, meaning it will be publicly visible, if at a distance. Once that happens, long telephoto images from photographers camped out on public land outside Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., will doubtlessly begin to appear, confirming or debunking initial speculation. The first flight of the B-21 is expected in mid-2023.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-177059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-300x200-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-768x512-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-1536x1024-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-900x600-1.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-550x367-1.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-675x450-1.jpg 675w, https:\/\/www.airandspaceforces.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/7538169-1000x667-1.jpg 1000w\" \/><figcaption>Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III delivers remarks at the U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider unveiling ceremony, Palmdale, Calif., Dec. 2, 2022. DOD photos by Chad J. McNeeley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share Article The unveiling of the new B-21 bomber was staged to keep many of its innovations under wraps, but more than 34 years of technological advances since<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1765922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1765919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1765919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1765922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1765919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1765919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1765919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}