Northrop Grumman B-21

[theoderich]

[theoderich]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CQabazocd/

[theoderich]

Operational Pilot Flies B-21 as Top General Pushes Urgency

In another milestone for the B-21 Raider program, an operational test pilot recently flew the bomber with a developmental test pilot sharing the cockpit.

Traditionally, developmental test ensures an aircraft meets its technical specifications and flies safely, while operational test is conducted separately and much later to determine if the platform is combat-effective, suitable and survivable in the hands of the warfighter. Transitioning directly into a combined DT/OT environment eliminates the gap between ensuring a jet simply works and ensuring it is ready for combat.

With last summer’s arrival of a second B-21 to Edwards AFB, the Raider Combined Test Force transitioned beyond initial flight performance checks into critical mission systems and weapon integration.

“Bringing operational testers onto the team at this early point in the program now means we can evaluate the bomber's true combat utility, not just its flying characteristics,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Gray, 420th Flight Test Squadron commander and Raider CTF director.

The Raider CTF at Edwards is comprised of Airmen and Air Force civilians from the 412th Test Wing’s 420th Flight Test Squadron, AFOTEC Det 5 and the 53rd Wing’s 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, along with Northrop Grumman industry partners.

https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Display ... s-urgency/

[theoderich]

B-21 Prototype Environmental Protection Shelters construction, test underway

The B-21 Raider program continues to progress through the engineering and manufacturing development acquisition phase. One visible example of progress was the recent construction and installation of a temporary prototype Environmental Protection Shelter at Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Air Force Global Strike Command and the B-21 Program Office are testing various prototype shelters to identify the most effective and affordable designs that could be used across all three B-21 Main Operating Bases, the depot, and even at forward operating locations.

SecAF visits Ellsworth AFB as base reaches historic B-21 Raider facilities milestone

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink visited Ellsworth Air Force Base June 30-July 1 to receive updates on the 28th Bomb Wing’s B-1B Lancer operations and the ongoing preparations to onboard the B-21 Raider.

During the visit, Meink heard details on an array of topics ranging from the status of B-1B activities to construction of numerous facilities specifically for the B-21. Recently, the base formally accepted a pair of facilities including the $161 million Low Observable Restoration Facility and the $81 million Wash Rack and General Maintenance Hangar.

The new buildings are engineered specifically to support the B-21. The facilities will allow maintenance personnel to inspect, clean, and maintain the aircraft's radar-absorbent materials indoors, a process designed to reduce aircraft downtime.

After accepting the facilities, the 28th Bomb Wing deployed fit-out teams to both buildings. These personnel are currently installing computers, furnishings and secure operational equipment to prepare the structures for active use.

The completion of the Low Observable Restoration Facility and the Wash Rack mark the first finished projects in an estimated $2 billion construction effort at Ellsworth AFB. The base will soon house the B-21 Formal Training Unit and serve as the first main operating base for the B-21 Raider.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display ... ties-mile/

• B-21 Low-Observable Restoration Facility (LO Hangar), Ellsworth AFB, SD
  
  https://sam.gov/opp/c82973b8eed84e15acc ... 45665/view
  
  https://www.google.com/maps/place/44%C2 ... FQAw%3D%3D

• Groundbreaking ceremony for new B-21 Low Observable Restoration Facility at Ellsworth Air Force Base signifies kickoff of historic B-21 Beddown (3. Juni 2022)
  
  https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Media/Ne ... ty-at-ell/

[theoderich]

Mystery plane spotted in Kansas sparks rumors it could be America’s new, top secret $700M bomber

https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/us-news/m ... er-rumors/

Das ist eine B-2.

[theoderich]

U.S. Air Force Starts Search for Bomber To Succeed the B-21

U.S. budget documents published in April revealed a proposal to launch a study in fiscal 2027 for a New Heavy Bomber to succeed the venerable Boeing B-52, which itself is being re-engined and upgraded. That comes on top of DARPA’s two-year-old effort to develop a prototype for a hypersonic Next-Generation Responsive Strike aircraft that features turbine-based
combined-cycle propulsion and a metallic airframe.

And now Air Force Global Strike Command is showing interest in a similar high-speed, long-range strike aircraft with two unique features, according to the solicitation released in July. The command is interested in concepts that would be powered by liquid-fueled rocket engines and could take off and land vertically.

In combination, the competing concepts point to Global Strike Command officials looking toward a future bomber acquisition after the B-21, even as the first two flying examples remain in testing.

• Department of War
  Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget Estimates
  
  April 2026
  
  Air Force
  Justification Book Volume 3 of 4
  Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Air Force
  Vol 3
  

  675039: B-52 System Improvements
  
  [...]
  
  A Heavy Bomber Analysis of Alternatives will begin in FY27 to analyze the future long range strike requirements to determine future B-52 requirements and costs and/or a new heavy bomber aircraft configuration and costs.

  Title: Advanced Concept Demonstration
  
  Description: Effort supports a classified Proof of Concept demonstration on the B-52.
  
  FY 2026 Plans:
  
  Advanced Concepts Demonstration efforts conclude in FY 2025. No FY 2026 funding allocated to this effort.
  
  FY 2027 Plans:
  
  New Heavy Bomber Analysis of Alternatives. New heavy bomber analysis of alternatives will begin initial planning activities to
  develop key performance parameters, key system attributes, and additional performance attributes for a follow-on heavy bomber in the USAF. The FY27 work scope will include key planning activities for programmatic, requirements, capabilities, and vendor options that could field in the future.
  
  FY 2026 to FY 2027 Increase/Decrease Statement:
  
  Increase due to funding for New Heavy Bomber Analysis of Alternatives

  https://www.af.mil/LinkClick.aspx?filet ... portalid=1

“The Air Force recognizes that there will eventually be something to replace the B-52, and now is the time to begin that conversation,” Col. Timothy Spaulding, the program acquisition executive for bombers, told reporters on July 27 during a Life Cycle Industry Days event.

“Our analysis of alternatives is, just as you see in the budget, just beginning, and so I think that conversation will expand a lot before we decide how big of a frame to put on it,” Spaulding said.

The rocket-powered, vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) prototype described in solicitation documents calls for an aircraft that would operate far differently than the stealthy, subsonic B-21. After launching vertically, the aircraft would transition to horizontal flight and accelerate to high—likely supersonic or hypersonic—speed, perform a strike mission and then return to its launch base for a vertical landing.

“Ground and flight testing will validate system performance, increase technology readiness and inform future Department of the Air Force research and development efforts supporting strategic deterrence and global strike missions,” the Air Force states in the solicitation.

The concept requires the maturation of several technologies. The Air Force solicitation documents list advanced liquid rocket propulsion, autonomous flight control, thrust-vector control, aerodynamic control surfaces, cryogenic propellant management and high-temperature structural materials, all intended to demonstrate stable flight, controlled transition between flight regimes and reliable system performance.

The Air Force plans to make a selection quickly. A contract could be awarded within 30-45 days of the Aug. 4 submission deadline.

The Air Force might have a concept in mind already. The solicitation appears to align closely with plans by New Frontier Aerospace, based in Kent, Washington. The startup announced a year ago it had signed an agreement with the Air Force Institute of Technology to collaborate on advancing an “innovative, rocket-powered hypersonic [VTOL] aircraft.”

https://aviationweek.com/defense/budget ... cceed-b-21