What does B-2 1 Raiders look like?
Release live video.
Judging from the pictures exposed that day, the B-2 1 bomber adopted the same aerodynamic layout as the B-2, which looked like a scaled-down version of the B-2 from a distance. According to the US Air Force, the size of B-2 1 is slightly smaller than that of B-2, and the payload is reduced accordingly. According to the previous satellite images and authoritative analysis, the wingspan of B-2 1 is about 80% of that of B-2, and the maximum load is about 50% of that of B-2. The Daily Mail estimates that the unit cost of B-2 1 has also dropped from about $2.4 billion of B-2 to about $650 million.
In this regard, military commentator Wei said: the shape and overall design of B-2 1 completely copied its predecessor B-2 Ghost bomber, and its triangular flying wing layout, engine intake and cockpit were basically the same as B-2 Ghost bomber. Therefore, the overall design of this new generation stealth bomber is not innovative. The unit cost of B-2 1 is relatively low, so the US Air Force wants to take advantage of its quantitative advantages and deploy a large number of overseas bases to deter strategic opponents in the air.
Source: US Air Force Magazine
The new machine released the "Internet Celebrity" marketing blog eye.
As early as September, 20021,General Charles Q. Brown Jr, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, told the website of "Defense One Online" at the national defense status conference, "When B-2 1 is launched, we will do something special, such as holding the unveiling ceremony or making the first flight afterwards."
On September 20, 2022, the US Air Force announced that B-2 1 will be unveiled in the first week of June 65438+February this year. 10 year1On October 20th, Nuoge Company released the preview video of B-2 1 through social media. Obviously, this "new machine launch conference", Midea's "promotion" work was particularly high-profile.
In this regard, military commentator Wei said that weapons, as the "killer weapon" of big countries, are usually strictly confidential, while B-2 1 high-profile marketing is huge and may contain mystery. The first move is to get more research funds from the Pentagon to ensure the number of fleets; Second, it intends to use public opinion offensive to put pressure on strategic opponents in the eyes of the United States.
Screenshot of the preview video released by Nuoge Company 10 year 10 on October 20th.
B-2 1 claims to be the first "sixth generation machine". Is there any big progress?
Both Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force call B-2 1 "an intergenerational leap in aircraft technology and development". Tom jones, director of the aviation system department of NOG, said that the development of stealth of B-2 1, the use of open system architecture and the integration of "global joint command and control" technology to realize cross-platform data sharing will make it the first of the sixth generation systems.
Regarding the statement that B-2 1 is a sixth-generation aircraft, military observer Bai explained that the first-generation standard we often talk about is mainly aimed at the generation of jet fighters. B-2 1 is a strategic bomber, and its replacement is controversial. In addition, whether B-2 1 has formed a generation gap in the new generation of stealth technology and flying with or without people has not been widely recognized.
Fu Qianshao, a military expert, said that claiming that it is the world's first six-generation machine is obviously a trick to scare people and deliberately raise their own word games. The positioning of B-2 1 should be the fifth-generation strategic bomber. At best, it is an upgraded version of B-2, and its range and bomb load are not as good as B-2, so it is not an exaggeration to call it "four generations and a half".
Tu yuan Nuo ge official website
Some new features of B-2 1 need close attention.
According to the report of the Congressional Research Office in September, 20021,B-2 1 will achieve the capability of "penetrating air control" in conventional and nuclear missions. The so-called "penetration air defense" capability is a concept put forward by the United States in the 20 16 "Air Superiority Flight Plan 2030", which refers to the development of penetration air defense combat capability that can penetrate the enemy's powerful air defense system and effectively perform detection and strike tasks in a high-intensity and complex battlefield environment in 2030. To put it simply, it is necessary to complete the operational objectives in the defense zone of the opponent's powerful air defense system.
For "penetration air defense", military expert Fu Sentinel analyzed that the basic design idea of B-2 1 is to break through the opponent's early warning air defense network through super stealth ability and launch conventional attacks or nuclear bombing on the strategic targets in the enemy's deep area. The most striking thing is that in recent years, the United States has invested heavily in research and development of nuclear weapons, especially air-launched nuclear weapons. Its purpose is to blackmail other countries naked in an attempt to achieve its goal of dominating the world through nuclear deterrence by sea and air. We should pay close attention to this.
Nuoge official website B-2 1 renderings
According to the official website of NOG, B-2 1 can carry long-range conventional ammunition and nuclear ammunition, which will be a "visible" and "flexible" part of the "trinity" nuclear strike capability. The US Department of Defense's 2023 budget application document shows that the US Air Force is expected to spend $5 billion to purchase B-2 1 aircraft in fiscal year 2023. It can be seen that the US Air Force has invested great expectations in this "new trump card".
Bai, a military observer, believes that the United States hopes to use B-2 1 to drag other countries into the arms race of strategic bombers and benefit from it, which shows that it is still pursuing an outdated Cold War mentality. This practice will not only drag the United States into the quagmire of the nuclear arms race, but also involve the world in a more dangerous future.
Where will B-2 1 lead the US Air Force?
As early as 20 15, NOG was awarded the contract to design and build the B-2 1 Raider stealth bomber. In order to serve as soon as possible, B-2 1 borrowed a lot from the mature technology of B-2 stealth bomber, including the classic flying wing layout. But even so, the US Air Force was disappointed again and again.
In 20 19, Stephen Wilson, then deputy chief of staff of the US Air Force, expressed the hope that B-2 1 could make its first flight in 202 1 and 12. At the beginning of 20021,the US Air Force was forced to admit that B-2 1 could not make its first flight that year, and postponed the schedule to mid-2022. In May 2022, a US Air Force spokesman said that the B-2 1 could not make its first flight in 2022 as originally planned.
However, after the official appearance of B-2 1, the first flight of the new aircraft was also put on the agenda. Bai, a military observer, believes that, by convention, the first flight of a new aircraft usually takes place several months after this debut ceremony. Northrop is eager to show B-2 1 at the end of the year, in fact, in order to reduce risks, avoid rising costs, make achievements as soon as possible, and prevent the US military from losing patience and being shot down by Congress.
The US Air Force released the B-2 1 photo on February 2nd, 65438.
At present, Northrop Grumman has six B-2 1 s in production, and the first one is expected to make its first flight in 2023. The US Air Force plans to purchase at least 100 B-2 1, which will be equipped in the mid-1920s, completely replacing the existing B- 1B supersonic bombers and B-2 stealth bombers.
Wei, a military commentator, said that after the future service, B-2 1 is likely to be deployed in the Pacific Ocean, especially in the western Pacific Ocean, such as frequent activities in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, and use its stealth and quantitative advantages to carry out air threats and air provocations.
According to the analysis of military expert Fu Sentinel, the range of B-2 1 is not large, and the operational radius is the smallest among several strategic bombers installed by the US military. In order to complete the long-range penetration task, it is necessary to refuel in the air many times. Although you don't need to live in an "air-conditioned room" like B-2, the maintenance guarantee is simpler, which is conducive to the forward deployment. However, if deployed to the airports of the first and second island chains, in case of armed conflict, the probability of B-2 1 being beaten is very high. But if deployed to the rear, such as Guam or Australia, it will lose its rapid response function.