B-21 Raider: Next step, First flight!

a reply to: anzha

Gee. Go figure.

great discussion guys

dont quote the Sun, rubbish tabloid paper, they publish any pish a reply to: pigsy2400

a reply to: Zaphod58

www.thedrive.com...



Now you got me wondering about that one thread where there was that supposed B-2 photo that we didn't think was a B-2. Could that of been a mock-up of a B-21? I was reading that they have a non flying iron bird that they use for development and to test integration of systems.

a reply to: grey580

I think they may be suggesting there may be a built ‘model’ but my experience of ‘iron bird’ were test rigs that were not requiring a mock up of an aircraft. In fact they did not even physically represent the aircraft.

I went in the Nimrod mockup which was used for designing the crew station’s and from the outside it did look like they had cut a fuselage off an aircraft, but it was inside a hangar inside a wooden scaffolding.

Iron Birds don't fly. They are used to test the major systems, such as hydraulics, landing gear, and things like that. Sometimes they don't have a cockpit, other times they only have enough cockpit to run the systems they're being used to test. Sometimes they're mostly complete aircraft, other times they're basic structures that mount whatever they're working on.

originally posted by: mightmight

originally posted by: RadioRobert
I would be stunned if they actually have even a preproduction model "near completion" five months out from CDR...

Just more evidence that the program was always further along than they let on. I still think they basically had near prototype aircrafts flying during the competition, not just some cobbled up tech demos.

First flight pushed back a few months into 2022...

a reply to: RadioRobert

first flight of the LRIP bird ...

Rollout is now expected early next year, with first flight around mid-2022. A second airframe, which sounds like the static test bird, has begun production.

www.airforcemag.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Love the part saying...

"workers figuring out “how to build the airplane,” which is more than just “how the drawing tells you to put it together.”

No matter, the experience with previous designs, no matter the advances in computer simulations, it's still the good old fashioned way of actually doing something, then thinking "Well, it could be a bit better if we do it like this..."

Do not scale this drawing....Always a useful note on an engineering drawing..These days a lot of the drawings are digital and fed into a CNC or 3D printer.

a reply to: Zaphod58

if it is the static test bed than what would they need to add?

i assume that everything would be ready to go?

a reply to: penroc3

Need to add for what?

a reply to: Zaphod58

to be non-static

powerplants maybe? i would assume all the bells and whistles as far as electrical/hydraulic/man and sub computer systems installed, other than MAYBE powerplants what is there to build.

they clearly have at least 3 of these flying in various forms

a reply to: penroc3

Static airframes don't become non- static. They're usually tested to destruction.

a reply to: Zaphod58

seems like a waste, with all the flights of the F117's plus other ways to test systems exist rather than pushing something till it breaks, we can do that in computers now.

what do you think the loser in this 'race' is doing these days? chopped up and put into the sand?

i find that hard to believe, it would be interesting to see it adopted into the family.

a reply to: penroc3

Computers aren't always accurate. Computer modeling on a recent commercial test said the wing would reach 150%+ but when they did the actual test, on the actual wing, it failed below 150%. Real world testing is still important.

a reply to: Zaphod58

true enough

i guess with the lines open breaking a wing or two is alright in the interest of safety

do you think the 21 will be a solid piece composite shell wrapped arrange its interior?

i could see them doing a clam shell type of final construction where they build all the internals and than what ever reinforcements and then close the clam shell up and bingo bango a seamless aircraft (almost)

what do you think the 'other' is doing these days? i really hope not falling under the UFO(Un Funded Opportunities) section.

from the rumors i heard it was quite the sight to see

originally posted by: penroc3
a reply to: Zaphod58

true enough

i guess with the lines open breaking a wing or two is alright in the interest of safety

do you think the 21 will be a solid piece composite shell wrapped arrange its interior?

i could see them doing a clam shell type of final construction where they build all the internals and than what ever reinforcements and then close the clam shell up and bingo bango a seamless aircraft (almost)

what do you think the 'other' is doing these days? i really hope not falling under the UFO(Un Funded Opportunities) section.

from the rumors i heard it was quite the sight to see

How would you service it if you built it inside out?

www.airforcemag.com...

Interesting article that talks about the manufacturing processes and thoughts behind the B-21.

Seems to loosely peg the First flight in the vicinity of 2022 and IOC circa 2026. Not sure if these dates have been mentioned before - I've been out of the loop for a while.