US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Pointing to a projection of the B-21 Raider, he said, “This is one of the many, many things that you are working on right here that will change Chairman Xi’s calculus about our readiness.” With an initial order of 100 aircraft and more expected after that, the nation’s newest stealth bomber will be the backbone of Global Strike Command’s bomber fleet, and incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit.

Wickert’s messaged mirrored a

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

from his

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

in which he stared directly into the broadcast camera and said, “…I hope Chairman Xi … he’s got people that translate, and so I want him to know that the men and women of Edwards Air Force Base are doing their war-time mission right now. They are accelerating Test. They are delivering integrated capability to the warfighter.”

And then gesturing over his shoulder to a similar image of the Raider, he said, “Today is not the day to start World War III, because we have this.”

Click to expand...

siegecrossbow said:

Pointing to a projection of the B-21 Raider, he said, “This is one of the many, many things that you are working on right here that will change Chairman Xi’s calculus about our readiness.” With an initial order of 100 aircraft and more expected after that, the nation’s newest stealth bomber will be the backbone of Global Strike Command’s bomber fleet, and incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit.

Click to expand...

“100 is the program of record. I think we’re not going to reach that number until probably the mid-2030s and beyond,” said Gen. Allvin when questioned about the minimum number of B-21s. “Before we commit to that as being the platform and beyond that, I think there are other technological advancements that we would see to be able to augment that and have a better mix”.

Click to expand...

B-21 program status​

Shortly after the beginning of flight testing, Northrop Grumman has been awarded the contract for the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Raider stealth bomber. The Pentagon did not release the contract’s details, however, when at the bomber’s rollout in 2022, the Air Force stated it expected average unit procurement cost of $692 million.

The number of aircraft covered by the first contract was not disclosed, although some reports after the first flight said it could cover up to 21 aircraft. At the time of the first flight, Northrop Grumman said six airframes were in various stages of production, including the one already flying,

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

.

Click to expand...

RobertC said:

Chairman Xi counts planes in service not

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

And then there's the USAF's usual bait and switch

And amid the now usual budget turmoil there's this

Until the USAF (and USN and USMC) escape from the blight that is the F-35 program, their new aircraft programs will be too few -- too late to disturb the sleep of Chairman Xi, much less be noticed by him.

Click to expand...