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10 Facts About Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider

The B-21 Raider, the first aircraft of the sixth generation in the world.

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10 Facts About Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider

The B-21 Raider, the first aircraft of the sixth generation in the world, will be unveiled on December 2 at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, California. When it is given to the Air Force, the B-21 will become a visible and adaptable deterrent that will assist national security goals and reassure the country’s allies and partners.

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The Raider will give the Air Force extended range, excellent survivability, and mission payload flexibility when it comes to delivering America’s resolve. The B-21 can deliver precise strikes anywhere in the world despite the toughest defences. Here are the B-21 Raider’s ten most important characteristics.

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1. Sixth Generation. The B-21 Raider benefits from more than three decades of strike and stealth technology. It is the next evolution of the Air Force strategic bomber fleet. Developed with the next generation of stealth technology, advanced networking capabilities and an open systems architecture, the B-21 is optimized for the high-end threat environment. It will play a critical role in helping the Air Force meet its most complex missions.

2. Stealth. Northrop Grumman is continuously advancing technology, employing new manufacturing techniques and materials to ensure the B-21 will defeat the anti-access, area-denial systems it will face.

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3. Backbone of the Fleet. The B-21 Raider forms the backbone of the future for U.S. air power. The B-21 will deliver a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors and weapons. Capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads, the B-21 will be one of the most effective aircraft in the sky, with the ability to use a broad mix of stand-off and direct attack munitions.

4. A Digital Bomber. The B-21 is a digital bomber. Northrop Grumman uses agile software development, advanced manufacturing techniques and digital engineering tools to help mitigate production risk on the B-21 program and enable modern sustainment practices. Six B-21 Raiders are in various stages of final assembly and test at Northrop Grumman’s plant in Palmdale, California.

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5. Cloud Technology. Northrop Grumman and the Air Force successfully demonstrated the migration of B-21 ground systems data to a cloud environment. This demonstration included the development, deployment and test of B-21 data, including the B-21 digital twin, that will support B-21 operations and sustainment. This robust cloud-based digital infrastructure will result in a more maintainable and sustainable aircraft with lower-cost infrastructure.

6. Open Architecture. To meet the evolving threat environment, the B-21 has been designed from day one for rapid upgradeability. Unlike earlier generation aircraft, the B-21 will not undergo block upgrades. New technology, capabilities and weapons will be seamlessly incorporated through agile software upgrades and built-in hardware flexibility. This will ensure the B-21 Raider can continuously meet the evolving threat head on for decades to come.

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7. A National Team. Since contract award in 2015, Northrop Grumman has assembled a nationwide team to design, test and build the world’s most advanced strike aircraft. The B-21 team includes more than 8,000 people from Northrop Grumman, industry partners and the Air Force. The team consists of more than 400 suppliers across 40 states.

8. Sustainment. Long-term operations and sustainment affordability has been a B-21 program priority from the start. In partnership with the Air Force, our team has made maintainability an equally important requirement to stealth performance to ensure we’re driving more affordable, predictable operations and sustainment outcomes.

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9. Global Reach. The B-21 Raider will be the backbone of the U.S. bomber fleet and pivotal to supporting our nation’s strategic deterrence strategy. In addition to its advanced long-range precision strike capabilities that will afford Combatant Commanders the ability to hold any target, anywhere in the world at risk, it has also been designed as the lead component of a larger family of systems that will deliver intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack and multi-domain networking capabilities. In a dynamic global security environment, the B-21 will provide the flexibility and deterrence critical to the security of the U.S. and our allies.

10. Raider. The B-21 Raider is named in honor of the Doolittle Raid of World War II when 80 airmen, led by Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle, and 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers set off on a mission that changed the course of World War II. The actions of these 80 volunteers were instrumental in shifting momentum in the Pacific theater. This marked the raid as a catalyst to a multitude of future progress in U.S. air superiority from land or sea. The courageous spirit of the Doolittle Raiders is the inspiration behind the name of the B-21 Raider.

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Fast Fact

  • first aircraft in the world to use the newest 6th-generation technology.
  • The aircraft is capable of being flown both manned and unmanned.
  • To save money, it features a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine similar to the F-35.
  • In service launch of the B-21 is anticipated for 2026 or 2027.
  • It will eventually replace the B-2 Spirit and B-1 Lancer of the Air Force.
  • For the USAF, it will be a long-range, covert intercontinental strategic bomber.
  • It is capable of delivering nuclear and conventional weapons.
  • It is remotely operative and has room for two crew.
  • One B21 Raider could cost as much as $639 million.
  • The USAF intended to purchase about 100 planes.
  • It has a payload capacity of up to 30,000 pounds or 13607.771 kg
  • 150 feet is the length of its wings.
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Aerospace

Austrian Ministry of Defense selects the C-390 Millennium as its new military transport aircraft

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Embraer Concludes Flight Tests for Firefighting Capability for the C-390 Millennium

The Austrian Ministry of Defense announced today the decision to select the C-390 Millennium aircraft as its new tactical transport solution. Embraer is honored to be chosen to support this important Air Force in Europe.

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Austria joins Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, and the Netherlands as the future operators of the C-390 Millennium multi-mission platform, an aircraft that is rapidly redefining the standards of tactical transport in the world defense market.

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Embraer is ready to support the Austrian Ministry of Defense and Air Force in order to meet the demanding requirements of their acquisition process and is prepared to further strengthen the relationship with this nation.

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U.S. F-35 Fighter Jet Missing in South Carolina, and Asks Public for Help

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U.S. F-35 Fighter Jet Missing in South Carolina, and Asks Public for Help

A US fighter jet went missing in South Carolina during a training mishap. According to US military officials, the search for his missing aircraft was centered on two lakes north of North Charleston.

At around 2 p.m. (local time), the pilot evacuated and safely parachuted into a North Charleston neighborhood. He was transferred to a nearby hospital, where he was in stable condition.

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Military officials appealed to the public for assistance with finding the aircraft on Twitter.

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Authorities stated that they are currently looking into the cause of the pilot’s ejection. According to Salinas, the pilot of a second F-35 made a safe landing at Joint Base Charleston. The pilots and their aircraft were part of the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, which is stationed in Beaufort, which is close to the Atlantic coast of South Carolina.

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According to base authorities, they were conducting a search over two lakes to the north of Charleston in collaboration with federal aviation authorities. Each of the aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin, cost about USD 80 million.

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A Flight to Freedom: How Qatar Airways Helped Save a Lion’s Life

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Reuben’s Second Chance: From a Cage in Romania to African Wilderness

Imagine sitting in a small cage for 6 years. Would you rather enjoy life or give it up? One of the Lions was living alone in Romania and stopped roaring after being left alone in the cage with no other animals nearby.

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Qatar Airways assists this lion in living its second life by transporting it from Romania to an African forest where he can enjoy the rest of his life with other lions.

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The CEO of ADI (Animal Defender International) Wildlife Sanctuary, John Kramer, in South Africa, took the initiative to bring these lions back from Romania. The entire purpose of this Sanctuary is to give back to these animals from circuses, animals who have never seen their native land, animals who have never walked on grass, lived in tiny cages bare balls, never had the sun on their backs, and all they’ve done is sit in a box to entertain humans and have never experienced anything of their natural life.

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The goal of ADI Wildlife Sanctuary is to give them back as close to the life they lost as possible, which is why they have such large habitats. The reason is that he was born in a privately owned zoo in Armenia, and the family decided to close the zoo and have the animals removed, leaving him behind. He’s been alone for 6 years, and he’s actually stopped roaring.

Qatar Airways’ Compassion Soars: Lion Rescued and Rehomed in Africa

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They were out of options for a flight out of Armenia for Reuben due to the size of the crate and they didn’t know what they were going to do until Qatar Airways cargo stepped in and not only said that they would arrange the flights and bring in the special aircraft, but their We Care Programme paid for Ruben’s flight. They’ve been able to begin moving out and are so happy to get up Airways cargo for allowing Reuben to live the life he lost.

What they hope to accomplish for Ruben today in the habitat here is for him to hear the voices of other lions, and he will hear a lot of lion voices here, which will give him a second shot at life. The team is overjoyed because this battered Old Lion King will be walking on African soil for the first time, and the magic of him being back where he belongs, where his forefathers came from, and with his own kind again, but he will see them, hear them, smell them, he will literally be home, and he will spend the rest of his life in Freedom.

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