Some Interesting News about the LRS-B Program

a reply to: Jukiodone

There was a reason for it being seen that day.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Long time lurker, first time aviation forum poster:

I find the circumstances around the Amarillo sighting almost as interesting as the plane itself. Assuming it was a "sanctioned" tip that led to the photographs, what/who might the little unveiling have been directed towards, speculative speaking? Russia? Then why stage the B-2 formation (I've heard that they almost never fly in formation anyway) a few days later?

Secondarily, outside of Diego Garcia and England, aren't all B-2s based out of Whiteman? Under such circumstances, I can't imagine that the mystery bird took off in daylight from Missouri - The B-2s would have had to rendezvous with it in another spot (presumably the desert southwest), escort it on its tour and then escort it back before returning to Whiteman I assume.

Sorry for the thread drift, but the mention of the Amarillo sighting rekindled my curiosity about the potential reasons behind the photos and the logistics of the flight as far as they can be known. Fun to speculate though...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Didn't it happen right after Putin's post-olympics saber rattling about Ukraine?

And I used to think it was a very fuzzy cranked kite, now I think it looks more like that reported manned phantom Ray that's been seen around scotland lately...

a reply to: Virgil Cain

They were in formation for two reasons. One being that to the average person it wouldn't look like anything other than a B-2. To the people meant to see it though, they'd know it wasn't.

The second being that it gave them plausible deniability. They stage a formation flight a few days later, and it's blown off as a B-2 flight the first time. Even here, if you follow the thread, almost everyone talked themselves into thinking it was just a B-2.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Sounds like a soft unveil. They obviously wanted us to see it. But still be able to say we are all wrong, it was just B2's

a reply to: Bfirez

No, they wanted someone to see it, that wasn't us. It was a message to some specific people. We were just lucky enough to get a look when they did it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

So the message was not meant to be sent via a "lucky" photograph plastered on the internet but rather to some specific people on the ground in the same vicinity? Seems like it was probably more of a sneak peek for a domestic audience and not an international one...

a reply to: Virgil Cain

No, the message was meant for a particular satellite that was overhead at the time the aircraft were flying over the area. Pictures from the ground only helped ensure the message was received.

a reply to: Barnalby

Amazing timing that.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thanks. Makes sense. Lucky us on the redundancy. Wonder if it had its intended impact.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Virgil Cain

No, the message was meant for a particular satellite that was overhead at the time the aircraft were flying over the area. Pictures from the ground only helped ensure the message was received.

Steve Douglass: "But one of the three then did something either unusual or on purpose .... It maneuvered in and out of the lead aircraft's contrail, kind of playfully."

(*) Fly behind/under B-2 purposely pulling contrails = nature's gaussian blur mask for overhead birds.
(*) Fly at FL 370 + 20 miles horz distance = far enough to keep a planform sufficiently grainy to a 300mm zoom lens.

Result: Desired daylight sighting achieved, with delicious details successfully obscured from designated observers.

Perfectly and professionally done.

a reply to: betweenprojects

That it was. Just enough revealed to show it's something new and get people to sit up. And if some of the other activities I heard about are accurate that wasn't the only message sent.

a reply to: Zaphod58
I have wondered whether something we did caused a Russia's tone , with respect to the Ukrainian situation.
I also wonder if the "evidence" we alluded to about the downing of the Malaysia jet , came from an undisclosed platform of some sort.

I think the message pretty much said "pull your head in" as we have something you wont see coming take you out quietly and cause major disruption to the wellbeing of your country...

a reply to: Blackfinger

There's a rumor I'd love to have confirmed that a much less subtle message was sent that got more than a few people to crap their pants.

So we're getting B-2 version 2.0 with enhanced capabilities? They sure love that flying wing design.

I wonder though -- the world is getting smaller every day and the Russians aren't dummies when it comes to espionage -- they probably know more about the LRS-B than we know. Which makes me wonder why a "message" was really necessary beyond a boastful kind of thing.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Because you're giving far too much credit to espionage. No one gets nearly as much information as people think they do. It takes years just to get a low level source, let alone one that knows everything about a project.

a reply to: Zaphod58

True, and I bet they don't just keep design schematics on computers that can be hacked into via the internet.

What about sending a family over and having them raise a kid, intentionally sending that kid to the right schools to get an areospace engineering degree and then later a job at Boeing or NG? Sort of like "The Americans"?

The "long game" so to speak? That might actually have a shot at working, assuming you could convince your kid to go along with it...but if you raise them and brainwash them from birth...

a reply to: MystikMushroom

They did that. They were far more interested in industrial espionage than military secrets.

a reply to: Virgil Cain

And that's not the first time they did this.