Aerotech News and Review, December 2, 2022

Aerotech News
Aerotech News
Journal of Aerospace, Defense Industry and Veteran News
and Review
and Review
Northrop Grumman prepares for B-21 rollout
by Larry Grooms
special to Aerotech News
AEROSPACE VALLEY, Calif.—“This changes everything,” is the silent message su- perimposed on an 11-second Northrop Grumman video of a shrouded B-21 Raider to either roll out or be unveiled Dec. 2 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif.
With security measures that could be fodder for a Tom Clancy techno-thriller, the public de- but of the first new U.S. Air Force bomber in more than 30 years invites contrasting compari- son with aviation disclosures of the early distant past. Asked to recall any similarly secretive roll- outs, 412th Test Wing Historian James Tucker said one that came close was the XP-59, Ameri- ca’s first jet fighter during World War II, shipped by rail from the factory to Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards) and flown in total secrecy.
Although the B-21’s predecessor, Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, appeared before a large and enthusiastic crowd in the sunlight outside the doors of the same assembly
hangar three decades earlier, that’s where the similarity ends — “Changing Everything.”
This Friday an as yet undisclosed number of unnamed guests are expected “by invitation only” to witness the event from a likewise un- disclosed location inside or outside.
Because Congress is scheduled to remain in session on Friday, both Aerospace Valley Con- gressional representatives are committed to re- main in the Capitol to vote. However, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Repub- lican Congressman Mike Garcia are expected to make formal remarks concerning the B-21 Raid- er defense program.
News releases and statements from Northrop Grumman officials used the terms rollout and unveiling interchangeably, and artistic repre- sentations vary between artist renderings of an aircraft and the featureless shape of a tailless fu- selage veiled in a semi-transparent shroud.
The American public will be able to watch on their devices live-streaming video of Fri- day’s proceedings. And based on nervous and dismissive tweets from the People’s Republics
of whereever, the rest of the world will be tak- ing an interest as well in what NGC Aeronautics Systems President Tom Jones called “a sixth- generation aircraft.”
Viewers can access the livestream reveal of the B-21 Raider Friday at http://ms.spr. ly/6186dCONr
The unveiling is currently scheduled for 5 p.m., PST.
While much of what has been revealed about how the B-21 Raider’s visible features and flight performance envelope are improved from the B-2, including a smaller airframe configuration, altered exhaust ports and refined trailing edges, the blockbuster news that “Changes Everything” concerns the skin and everything below it, in- cluding engines, armaments, mission profiles, and perhaps the most significant change that Changes Everything Else in the likely future of aerospace technology.
The Quantum Leap allowing America’s aero- space to build better, faster, possible cheaper and world-beating invention derives in part from technology used in the B-21’s testing — and the
Northrop Grumman photograph
Air Force’s decision to flight test a production- model aircraft instead of the traditional X-plane. Andrew Hunter, Air Force acquisition chief, was quoted as saying the early decision on flight-test aircraft production, “is paying dividends as we look towards first flight.”
The B-21?s advancements in stealth capabili- ties also incorporate open-systems architecture, and Joint All-Domain Command and Control technologies to share data across platforms. Northrop’s system for digital testing is touted as a way to reduce risk by catching and fixing problems before they reach the assembly line.
So far, there are still six B-21s in various stag- es of development, including the first flight test aircraft. The second complete B-21 is dubbed G1, a ground test aircraft. One of the mysteries yet to unfold is whether any of the B-21 Raider bombers, so-named in honor of the Jimmy Doo- little Raiders who first bombed Tokyo in World War II, will be built to operate without a crew onboard.
See RAIDER, Page 2
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