Hello B-21 Raider

Innominate said:
Looks like B21 is a stop gap for a bomber USAF already has in mind.
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In the early 2000s, there were the 2018 Bomber (limited range and payload) and 2037 Bomber (intercontinental range and double payload) plans.

Then they junked the 2018 Bomber and turned it into something that sits between 2018 and 2037, ie longer range compared to B-2, but half its payload, that became the B-21.

So they seem to be resurrecting the 2037 Bomber plans. After all, there is a need to match Russian and Chinese capabilities in terms of payload before a new nuclear treaty is negotiated.
 
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www.twz.com

B-21 Raider Fleet Size Under Review

The Air Force's official plan has been to buy 100 B-21 Raiders, but that could now be set to change, according to Northrop Grumman.
www.twz.com www.twz.com

Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman’s CEO, talked about the present state of the B-21 program and her company’s expectations for the future during a quarterly earnings call earlier today. The Air Force’s publicly stated plan has long been to buy at least 100 Raiders, but there have been discussions for years now about the possibility of the service acquiring significantly more of the bombers.
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“I think that’s exactly what the Air Force is looking at,” Warden said. “They are undertaking a force structure design review and the Secretary [of the Air Force Frank Kendall] has been open about looking at the various options they have for increasing their force size, and has talked specifically about NGAD, and we know that B-21 is in the mix, as well.”
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lmaoxd said:
is this 6th gen or 5++ gen?
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Doesn't really fall into the generation game since it's a bomber and the B-2 had already dispensed with fins and tailplane. I guess I would say that -70dBsm is 6th gen though.;) There is speculation that it will carry AIM-174Bs in side bays too.
 
www.airandspaceforces.com

Pentagon Considering a Second B-21 Production Line

The Pentagon is considering whether to open up a second production line to build B-21 Raider stealth bombers faster, a top commander said.
www.airandspaceforces.com www.airandspaceforces.com
Adm. Richard Correll, head of U.S. Strategic Command, told lawmakers March 17 that his command still believes the Air Force needs to increase its planned B-21 fleet to 145 airplanes—a figure his predecessor Air Force Gen. Anthony J. Cotton endorsed last March. A second production line could be a way to reach that goal.

“There are, of course, investments that have been made to increase the production rate and to potentially open a second production line,” Correll told the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces. “That decision has yet to be made, but clearly the B-21 represents a really significant capability both from a conventional and a nuclear perspective.”
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