B-21 Raider Has Flown For The First Time https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/b-21-raider-has-flown-for-the-first-time note the diffused exhaust Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date Image Unavailable, Please Login .
This time the RCO made sure no silly requirements like high speed, low level flight were added to cripple the program.
First Aerial View Of B-21 Raider Offers New Insights With flight testing now deeply underway, the U.S. Air Force is giving us our first look from high up in the sky at the B-21 Raider. Image Unavailable, Please Login https://www.twz.com/air/first-aerial-view-of-b-21-raider-offers-new-insights
B-1s came up here to Eielson for cold weather testing. I’ll never forget the first time I saw it flying. Looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
The Air Force now has a pair of flying B-21 Raider Stealth Bombers at Edwards Air Force Base ...... https://www.twz.com/air/two-b-21-raider-stealth-bombers-photographed-together-for-the-first-time Image Unavailable, Please Login ,
Reading that article they speculate the wingspan is only 155'. That's substantially smaller than the B-2. Speculation is that its only about 2/3rds the GW as the B-2. Anyone have any thoughts on why they would have gone smaller? Doesn't seem worth the RCS benefits to lose the efficiency and payload capacity.
Costs less per airframe, easier to hangar, less RAM maintenance, stealthier. Does not mean she has less payload, which is likely still classified. If she can carry two GBU-57s, she does not need to be any bigger.
