US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter tphuang
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B-21 is undergoing taxi testing and apparently is looking to fly by the end of the year.
Also, looks like someone managed to grab a picture of it...
Also, looks like someone managed to grab a picture of it...
This is basically the equivalent of the Virginia submarine program for the US Navy. The Virginia was a cheaper mass produced version of the Seawolf. And the B-21 is a cheaper mass produced version of the B-2. If done correctly it can replace the disparate current US bomber inventory and be quite successful. But it is not that unlikely that they will find some way to muck it up.
Since this is a twin engine it is bound to be much cheaper than the Tu-160s that the Russians are building. It remains to be seen how large the PAK DA will be as well.
So much for my expectations of seeing the H-20 fly first though. At this rate it looks to be increasingly unlikely.
Since this is a twin engine it is bound to be much cheaper than the Tu-160s that the Russians are building. It remains to be seen how large the PAK DA will be as well.
So much for my expectations of seeing the H-20 fly first though. At this rate it looks to be increasingly unlikely.
Meanwhile the H-20:
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Plus 30 years of technological development. Even Virgina class has evolved beyond being the NSSN and in cost actually comes closer to a 1:1 with the majority of differences coming in that the two classes were designed for different missions. With Seawolf having been optimized for deep sea predator missions of hunting boomers well Virgina was designed for more conventional and more Special operations based shallow water.
On the face of it yes, B21 will be the follow up of B2. However military aviation and civilian aviation has evolved significantly. B2 was more or less a Third generation of stealth aviation it lacked radar and much of the advanced datalink and other capabilities that have since become the norm for stealth aircraft like the F35.
RAM materials are advancing beyond even what is in F35 which is still state of the art. Additionally we have now baked in countermeasures likely to be standard. Where again the B2 would be lacking. 30 years of development and changing threat types likely to be factored in.
On comparison Tu160 is a very vintage aircraft with limited RCS reduction and still focused on super sonic performance. Trying to make a comparison becomes difficult as such due to the fact that though the two are to perform a similar role place the means by which they aim to perform such role are dramatically different. It’s like trying to compare a 757 to the Concord.
At this point short of the intervention of Alien Space Bats, B21 will fly before any counterparts emerge from Vapor.
LRHW test may have failed again
For them to fail this many times, something tells me that by the time they finally get one shoved up their collective ass, they still wouldn’t be able to succeed