Let’s Have A Look At The New B-21 “Raider” Stealth Bomber Renderings The Air Force Has Just Released

https://theaviationist.com/2020/01/3...just-released/

Let’s Have A Look At The New B-21 “Raider” Stealth Bomber Renderings
The Air Force Has Just Released

January 31, 2020 David Cenciotti Tom Demerly Military Aviation 2
Comments
Some of the main differences between the B-21 and the B-2. (Image
credit: The Aviationist based on USAF rendering).
There are lots of interesting new details in the new renderings of the
B-21 stealth bomber.

The U.S. Air Force has just published three new renderings of the B-21
“Raider”, the U.S. Air Force’s next stealth bomber built by Northrop
Grumman and destined to replace the B-1 and B-2 fleets.

In 2016, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first
artist rendering of the Long Range Strike Bomber designated the B-21,
at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando,
Florida, that showed a concept designed around a standard flying wing
quite similar to the B-2’s rather than a “cranked kite” or a kite
(like those seemingly spotted over the Wichita and Amarillo back in
2014).

While on Mar. 3, 2018, Brigadier General Carl Schaefer, Commander of
the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, publicly announced that
the aircraft would be tested at Edwards. The new bomber, that the U.S.
Air Force plans to procure in 100 examples has a lot of things in
common with the B-2; the main differences are the “W” shaped trailing
edge of the Raider that is an evolution from the Spirit’s sawtooth
trailing edge and the overall size and weight: the B-2’s wingspan is
172 feet while the B-21 has a payload requirement said to be between
two thirds and half that of the B-2. That’s why the Raider will
probably be lighter featuring a wing span smaller than that of the
Spirit.

No other official renderings of the new aircraft were released since
the first ones made public four years ago. Late last year, a
computer-generated image created by artist Mike Tsukamoto for
journalist John A. Tirpak’s December 1, 2019 article on the B-21
Raider in AirForceMag.com, titled, “The Raider Takes Shape” showed a
plan-view comparison of the existing B-2 Spirit “parked” next to
Tsukamoto’s digital rendering of the B-21.

Then today, the Air Force Global Strike Command shared on their
Facebook page the new artist renderings of the B-21 Raider concept
shown in hangars at the three locations where the nation’s newest
stealth bomber will be housed: Dyess Air Force Base, Ellsworth Air
Force Base and Whiteman Air Force Base.
B-21 at Dyess AFB (Image credit: USAF)
B-21 at Whiteman AFB (Image credit: USAF)
B-21 at Ellsworth AFB (Image credit: USAF)

Although intentionally lacking many features, the new artworks are
extremely interesting, as they enable the gathering of additional
details. Here are those that seem to be more evident to me (I’d
suggest you to read also the analysis Tyler Rogoway and Joseph
Trevithick published at The War Zone here).

Overall shape is similar to the one of the B-2 but the B-21 is
smaller in size
B-21 leading edge shows different design concept: in particular,
the new aircraft does not appear to have the toothpick edge shape of
its predecessor’s hence lacking also the peculiar B-2’s “hawk’s-beak”
profile
The B-21 features different inlets config and blended conformal
engine nacelles
The B-21 has a two-wheel MLG (Main Landing Gear)
The MLG and Nose Gear doors are different: in particular, the MLG
doors are not trapezoidal but show serrated edges whereas the nosegear
door is serrated and not attached to the gear leg but on the right
side of the bay.

The B-2’s “hawk’s-beak” profile and nose gear door are quite evident
in this shot (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Barley)

We’ve tried to summarizes most of the details in the following image
(that we’ve also edited to increase lighting). If you note something
else, please let us know.
Some of the main differences between the B-21 and the B-2. (Image
credit: The Aviationist based on USAF rendering).

The new bomber is expected to perform its first flight in 2021. The
USAF has only 19 operational B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The aircraft
are based at Whiteman AFB in Missouri and are sometimes
forward-deployed as a strategic deterrent or for global precision
strike missions that are not flown directly from Whiteman AFB.