The story of the F-117 begins in 1964, when Soviet mathematician Pyotr Ufimtsev published the paper, Method of Edge Waves in the Physical Theory of Diffraction. It demonstrated that the radar return from an object depended more on its shape than size. Given the technology at the time, Ufimtsev’s insight was dismissed as impractical in Russia. But by the 1970s, given friendly aircraft losses to SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) in Vietnam and the Middle East, engineers at Lockheed’s “Skunk Works”—famous for designing cutting edge military planes like the P-38 Lighting, U-2 spy plane, and F-104 Starfighter—began taking the idea seriously.

• READ MORE: Reaching Uncharted Corners of the Globe in a Fokker F.VII

One key to minimizing radar return was to replace conventional streamlined, rounded surfaces with flat, angled surfaces designed to scatter radar waves in different directions. The wings would be swept back at a steep angle, like an arrowhead, and the vertical stabilizer (tail fin) replaced by an angled V-tail, all to reduce its radar profile.

The two turbofan jet engines were placed above the wings to shield their heat signature from the ground. The flat, reflective surfaces of the turbofan itself were shielded by an intake grill (to the right).

The engines have special exhaust ports in the rear to shield and minimize the heat released. The F-117 has no afterburners to give it extra thrust, as this would defeat the purpose of nondetection.

Instead of slinging weapons and bombs outside the fuselage, they are stored in an interior bay, safe from radar detection. Even opening the bay doors dramatically increases the F-117’s radar profile, so it must only be done for a few seconds over a target. Additionally, the exterior surfaces of the F-117 are all covered in a special coating, designed to absorb and deflect radar waves. The fork-like prongs jutting from the front of the F-117 are sensors to detect airspeed, angle of attack, and other instrument readings. The F-117 has no radar, which would immediately give away its presence. The glass panel in front of the cockpit is an infrared “eye” that enables the pilot to see in the dark and guide bombs to their target.

The windows of the F-117’s cockpit are ingrained with gold, which allows radar waves in but not out. Examples of the F-117’s cockpit are now on display in museums, and the layout is fairly similar to other single-pilot combat airplanes.

• READ MORE: Exploring the Checkered History of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

Initially a “black project” funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), starting in 1975, Lockheed cobbled together two prototypes under the code name “Hopeless Diamond,” which first flew in 1977. Although both prototypes crashed, the project was a sufficient enough success to proceed with a production model, which took its first flight from Area 51 in 1981. The first airplanes were delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1982.

The radar-minimizing design features of the F-117 make it quite unstable to fly. In fact, it can really only be flown with computer assistance, using a fly-by-wire system derived from the F-16. Because of its difficult aerodynamics, the F-117 quickly gained the nickname “Frisbee” or “Wobblin’ Goblin.”

The shielding of its jet engines, and lack of afterburners, also means that the F-117 is subsonic (it cannot break the speed of sound), making it much slower than most conventional fighters. In fact, despite its designation, the F-117 is not a fighter meant to intercept and dogfight with enemy airplanes. It has no guns, and though in theory it could carry air-to-air missiles, its lack of radar would render them fairly useless.

• READ MORE: The Story of the Schneider Trophy and the Supermarine S.5

The “Stealth Fighter” is actually an attack aircraft or light bomber, intended to be used in covert missions or evade air defenses, mainly under the cover of night. Some say that the “fighter” designation was used to attract pilots to the program who would normally have preferred flying fighters over bombers.

After testing at Homey, the F-117 was assigned to a special secret unit at Tonopah Test Range, also in Nevada. A total of 64 combat-ready airplanes were eventually built. Throughout the 1980s, however, the F-117 was kept completely secret. While rumors and sightings of it abounded, the U.S. government refused to confirm that any such aircraft existed. The first acknowledged use of the F-117 in combat was during the U.S. invasion of Panama to topple dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989.

Before I elaborate on its combat history, I need to land this airplane. The F-117 doesn’t have any flaps or air brakes to slow it down. I pull the throttle back to nearly idle just to descend. The approach speed of the F-117 is really fast—around 250 knots—and it touches down at 180 knots. So on landing I pull a handle next to the landing gear to deploy a parachute, to slow me down in time.

Now let’s talk about the known combat record of the F-117. It’s 3 a.m.  on January 17, 1991. Just over a day since the coalition deadline for Saddam Hussein to withdraw his Iranian forces from Kuwait has expired. An F-117 flies over the desert just south of Baghdad.

F-117s are leading the first strike of the coalition air campaign in the first Gulf War, aimed at taking out key command and control installations in the Iraqi capital. With a radar reflection the size of a golf ball, the F-117 glides silent and unseen over the bends of the Tigris River toward its target. Meanwhile, Iraqi anti-aircraft guns fire blindly into the night sky—a scene I remember watching unfold live on TV as I sat in my college dorm room. Combat losses for the F-117 that first night were projected at 5 percent. In fact, every single one of them came back from their missions safely.

By the end of the first Gulf War, the F-117 had flown 1,300 sorties, hitting an estimated 1,600 high-value targets, with the loss of a single aircraft. Though some of its performance may have been exaggerated—initial estimates of 80 percent target accuracy were scaled back to 40-60 percent—the F-117 became a leading symbol of the U.S. technological edge that helped establish it as the world’s sole superpower going into the 1990s.

• READ MORE: Recreating the Final Flight of the Red Baron

Fast-forward to the evening of March 27, 1999. At Aviano Air Base in northern Italy, an F-117 prepares for another night of bombing Yugoslavia, as part of NATO’s intervention to compel Serbian forces to withdraw from Kosovo. The aircraft, call sign “Vega 31,” is flown by Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Patrick “Dale” Zelko, a Desert Storm veteran. His target is a command-and-control center in downtown Belgrade, the Serbian capital. Along with several other F-117s on similar missions, he will fly east across Slovenia and Hungary before refueling midair and turning south to enter Yugoslav airspace.

I’ve heard the story two ways. The first has Zelko approaching Belgrade from the northwest and being picked up by Serbian radar as he opened his bomb bay doors—presumably before he could hit his assigned target. The second version, which the pilot himself tells, has him skirting Romanian airspace and coming toward Belgrade from the east. He dropped his bombs on target then continued west to head back home. (From what I can gather, Zelko was actually quite a bit higher than I’m portraying here, and there was a cloud layer about 2,000 feet above the ground.)

Just south of the two in Ruma in the countryside west of Belgrade, a mobile S-125 Neva SAM unit detected the F-117, despite its stealth profile, and locked on. Two SAMs were fired. The first missed the cockpit by inches, and the proximity fuse somehow failed to trigger. The second hit one wing and sent the F-117 tumbling out of control. After an initial struggle, the pilot ejected, was able to evade Serbian ground forces, and was rescued by U.S. helicopters. Years later, Zelko met the man who commanded the SAM unit that shot him down, and the two became friends.

Interestingly, the U.S. did not take any steps to destroy the wreckage of the downed F-117. The official reason was that the technology was already out of date, and there was no rationale to fear it falling into enemy hands. While the F-117 Nighthawk was used in 2001 in Afghanistan, and again in 2003 over Iraq, it became increasingly clear that it was nearing the end of its useful days, soon to be replaced by newer aircraft like the F-22 and F-35 that incorporate further advances in stealth technology. In 2006, the U.S. Air Force announced that it was retiring the F-117 and began putting the fleet into storage. A few went to museums, and others began being scrapped.

However, in recent years, there have been a number of sightings of F-117s flying near Edwards Air Base near California’s Death Valley. Some were reportedly painted grayish white, earning them the nickname “ghosts.” It is widely suspected that these F-117s are taking part in exercises designed to train pilots to detect and intercept enemy stealth aircraft. For fans of the iconic “Stealth Fighter,” it’s gratifying to know that some of them still appear to be flying.

In its entire operational life, there was only one known F-117 shot down. Its time may have passed, but that’s a remarkable record.

If you’d like to see a version of this story with more historical photos and screenshots, you can check out my original post here. This story was told utilizing Aerial Simulations’ F-117 Nighthawk add-on to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, along with liveries and scenery downloaded for free from the flightsim.to community.

The post Reenacting Bombing Missions in an F-117 Nighthawk appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The news comes more than two months after the Air Force’s top-secret stealth bomber—the first new bomber for the service in more than 30 years—took its first flight on November 10.

• READ MORE: B-21 Raider Takes First Flight

A second test flight came on January 17, the Air Force confirmed.

According to Northrop Grumman, six B-21 bombers are in various stages of final assembly and testing at its facility in Palmdale, California

“This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team’s mature plans for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-21s at a low rate,” William LaPlante, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in a statement Monday.

Bloomberg first reported the news of the low-rate initial production contract.

“One of the key attributes of this program has been designing for production from the start—and at scale—to provide a credible deterrent to adversaries,” LaPlante said. “If you don’t produce and field warfighters at scale, the capability doesn’t really matter.”

Designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions, the B-21 is set to eventually replace aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets. The B-21 is scheduled to hit full operational status in the mid-2020s.

• READ MORE: Northrop Grumman Pulls the Cover Off B-21 Raider

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 of the aircraft. Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, has been designated as the first main operating base for the B-21 and B-21 formal training unit. 

The post Pentagon Greenlights B-21 Production appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The development, first reported by The War Zone, was validated Wednesday by the Air Force.

“I can confirm the B-21 is conducting ground taxi activities,” an Air Force spokesperson told FLYING. “Rigorous testing is a critical step in the B-21 flight test program. Extensive testing evaluates systems, components, and functionalities. This testing allows us to mitigate risks, optimize design, and enhance operational effectiveness. I don’t have any other details on testing at this time.”

• READ MORE: Northrop Grumman Pulls the Cover Off B-21 Raider

The stealth bomber, which was unveiled to the public in December, had been projected to make its first flight by the end of 2023. Designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions, it is scheduled to hit full operational status in the mid-2020s.

In September, Northrop Grumman confirmed it had commenced engine testing, which it said was a significant milestone for the bomber’s ground test program.

“While the B-21 first flight will be a data-driven event closely monitored by Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force, key programmatic decisions and strategies are placing the program in a positive position moving forward,” the Falls Church, Virginia-headquartered company said.

The post Air Force Confirms B-21 Taxi Tests Underway appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Maglev is shorthand for magnetic levitation, a term that almost sounds made up. But the propulsion system is actually fairly common, frequently deployed to power high-speed trains. MagLev Aero, however, is working to apply it to eVTOL aircraft and has already been issued more than 20 patents for its technology.

The startup’s progress is underpinned by a development partnership with GE Additive’s AddWorks, a consultancy within the automaker’s design and manufacturing arm specializing in 3D printing, announced Tuesday.

“I’m thrilled to reveal the breakthrough propulsion technology we have been working so diligently and passionately on for the past few years in stealth,” said Ian Randall, the startup’s CEO. “Our proprietary MagLev HyperDrive platform will enable a new generation of eVTOL designs that are dramatically more quiet, efficient, safe, sustainable, and emotionally appealing to the mass market.”

As the younger Randall alluded to, MagLev emerged from stealth just a few weeks ago. Ian, an aerospace engineer, and his father, Rod, a board member at electric vehicle manufacturer Fisker, founded the company in Boston to solve the problem of noise in eVTOL flight—a challenge multiple aviation authorities are also working to address.

To reduce eVTOL noise to a whisper, MagLev is deploying several unique concepts. The most foreign is, of course, a magnetic levitation propulsion system, which in the context of high-speed rail uses magnetic bearings to suspend trains above the track. The system allows the train to “glide” along the rail without creating friction. But in MagLev’s HyperDrive design, those bearings are oriented in a circle within the rotor, which sits beneath a many-bladed rim.

Electric propulsion is distributed evenly and redundantly around the rotor’s perimeter using a combination of magnets and segmented motor control. That enables high hover-lift efficiency while reducing hover noise below that of traditional helicopters and eVTOLs, MagLev said. The redundant orientation also allows HyperDrive to function even after a rotor failure.

MagLev’s many-bladed rim essentially “floats” above the rotor. Its thin, swept blades are more numerous than a typical eVTOL’s, which reduces noise in three key ways: lower tip speed, lower blade loading, and increased load on the outer blade span. Most eVTOL and helicopter designs feature fewer, thicker blades that produce high tip speed and blade loading.

Normally, more blades provide greater lift at the expense of increased power and blade loading. But according to MagLev, HyperDrive concentrates the load on the outer blade span, which actually reduces blade loading and tip speed due to the rim’s high number of blades.

In fact, despite the design’s thin blades, MagLev claims HyperDrive can achieve the same lift as a conventional eVTOL with significantly lower tip speed and revolutions per minute (RPM)—which dramatically reduces noise.

Importantly, though, MagLev is not building its own eVTOL. Rather, it plans to sell HyperDrive to an OEM that is looking to experiment with novel technology.

“We believe our HyperDrive innovation applies to a variety of sizes, configurations, and use cases, and we look forward to working with OEMs and other partners to bring our technology to market,” said Rod Randall, MagLev’s chairman.

According to the startup, it’s already in talks with an unspecified number of “major aerospace OEMs.” It has also garnered support from prominent technology investors and industry leaders, including Material Impact, Grit Capital, Moai Capital (all of which are listed as investors on PitchBook), Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Stage 1 Ventures, among others.

On Tuesday, MagLev also announced a strategic collaboration with GE Additive’s AddWorks, a global team of more than 70 engineers known for working with emerging technology companies—including aviation startups like Boom Supersonic and Eaton Aerospace.

AddWorks’ specialty is additive manufacturing, the industrial production term for 3D printing. It will use that expertise to develop new manufacturing processes and materials for HyperDrive, which should help MagLev refine its design in future iterations.

“This is a major step for MagLev Aero, and we are thrilled to harness the power of GE Additive’s extensive industry experience, cutting-edge metal additive manufacturing techniques, and proven track record of designing and fabricating additive manufactured propulsion components that satisfy the stringent requirements of aerospace certification,” said Ian Randall.

The elder Randall added that the partnership will help HyperDrive “achieve optimal strength and stiffness at the lightest weight” before the technology is rolled out to the masses.

While MagLev’s eVTOL propulsion system is still in development—and likely several years away from commercial deployment—the firm believes it will find a home in both passenger and cargo aircraft.

The post Maglev Aero Debuts Magnetic Propulsion Technology in Paris, Partners with GE appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Reeling from these losses, company leaders decided they needed to make up lost ground. Recognizing that stealth technology and affordability were key elements in future success, they launched a program in 1992 to develop their capabilities. This program entailed the design, manufacture, and testing of a cutting-edge research aircraft that would become known as the Bird of Prey.

Named after a Klingon spacecraft from Star Trek and given the designation ‘YF-118G,’ the jet incorporated dramatic design inside and out, albeit in very different manners. The fuselage, wing, and exterior were designed to explore multiple facets of stealth technology above and beyond, minimizing the radar cross section (RCS). While the RCS is estimated to be as small as a mosquito, engineers also buried the engine deep within the fuselage to minimize the infrared signature and even carefully designed the paint shading to visually mask the actual fuselage shapes in daylight—a measure not utilized by other stealth aircraft such as the F-117 and B-2.

Less visible but no less significant were the efforts made toward the company’s goals of streamlining the design and assembly processes and ultimately improving affordability. By utilizing rapid prototyping techniques through the use of computer programs and 3D rendering, engineers were able to simulate the performance of individual parts and systems aboard the aircraft, thus minimizing the need to continuously produce and test multiple iterations of physical parts. These efforts even extended to making tooling easier and more affordable to manufacture.

A parallel effort was made to reduce the cost of the aircraft itself through the use of off-the-shelf components wherever possible. By selecting an off-the-shelf business jet engine, landing gear from Beechcraft turboprops, an ejection seat from a Harrier, and cockpit controls from various existing tactical jets, the team scavenged scrap yards and kept the balance sheet under control. Ultimately, the entire program reportedly cost $67 million, less than the cost of two new 737s at that time.

When the Bird of Prey made its maiden flight in September of 1996, it quickly became clear that the aircraft, with its highly-swept, 23-foot-span wing, did not exhibit good flying performance. Fortunately, it didn’t need to. With an airframe that placed far greater value on low observability than on aerodynamic performance, the speeds, altitudes, and handling characteristics were less than impressive.

The Pratt & Whitney JT15D engine, basically the same engine as used by the Cessna Citation V and Beechcraft Beechjet, produced 3,190 pounds of thrust. Maximum takeoff weight was 7,400 pounds, producing a similar thrust-to-weight ratio as those jets. The optimization for stealth performance, however, resulted in an “operational speed,” as reported by an official Boeing press release, of 260 knots and a maximum operating altitude of 20,000 feet. A Pilatus PC-12 can fly both higher and faster.

Nevertheless, the Bird of Prey went on to fly 38 test flights between 1996 and 1999, and the program was successful enough to survive the Boeing acquisition of McDonnell-Douglas in 1998. After the program was publicly unveiled in late 2002, the aircraft was given to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where it remains on display today.

Despite being put on display, one curiosity remains—an apparent lack of any publicly-available photos of the cockpit or instrument panel. While it’s unlikely these are still officially classified, the jet currently hangs at a height that keeps them well out of view. Additionally, the cockpit windows of the similarly spooky Tacit Blue stealth testbed were painted black for display in the museum, also preventing any views into the cockpit.

Whether these efforts are coincidental or intentional, they certainly lend an air of mystery to aircraft that themselves were shrouded in secrecy from the beginning.

The post Boeing Bird of Prey Shrouded in Secrecy Still appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Air Force’s sixth-generation, top-secret stealth bomber was unveiled December 2, marking the first new bomber for the service in more than 30 years. The event, held at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, California, marked the first public reveal of the stealth bomber that will form the future backbone of U.S. airpower.

Around 8:15 p.m. EST, hangar doors slid back as the aircraft draped in fabric was slowly pulled forward, bathed in blue light. The cover was pulled off and cheers erupted from the gathered crowd.

“The next time you see this aircraft, it will be in the air,” said Kathy Warden, chair, CEO, and president of Northrop Grumman.

The stealth bomber—which has been in development for seven years—is digitally designed, enabled, and maintained, featuring agile software development, advanced manufacturing techniques and digital engineering tools to help mitigate production risk, according to the manufacturer.

“The Raider is designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear munitions, with formidable precision,” said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “The B-21’s edge will last for decades to come.’’

“It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love,” he added.

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 of the aircraft that will cost about $639 million each and form the backbone of the service’s bomber force. Six B-21 bombers are currently in various stages of final assembly and testing at the facility. 

• READ MORE: First B-21 Aircraft Marks Ground Testing Milestone

“When delivered to the Air Force, the B-21 will join the nation’s strategic triad as a visible and flexible deterrent; supporting national security objectives and assuring the nation’s allies and partners,” Northrop Grumman said.

Unveiled today, the B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable, penetrating-strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force consisting of B-21s and B-52s.(U.S. Air Force photo) pic.twitter.com/X6KSU7sy6U

— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) December 3, 2022

“With the B-21, the U.S. Air Force will be able to deter or defeat threats anywhere in the world,” Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, said in a statement.

The first B-21 flight is projected for 2023 and will be scheduled based upon the outcomes of ground tests, Northrop Grumman said. The stealth bomber is designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions and is slated to hit full operational status in the mid-2020s.

Last year, the Air Force announced that the B-21 Raider will be headed to Edwards Air Force Base, California, where the 420th Flight Test Squadron will plan, test, analyze, and report on all ground and flight testing.

• READ MORE: Report: Air Force Backs Off Pairing B-21 Bomber With Combat Drone

The post Northrop Grumman Pulls the Cover Off B-21 Raider appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) announced the forthcoming unveiling months ago, it was with a photo offering a suggestive clue of the long awaited aircraft’s silhouette, draped under a sheet. Six B-21 bombers are currently in final assembly at the manufacturer’s facility in Palmdale, California. 

“The B-21 is the most advanced military aircraft ever built and is a product of pioneering innovation and technological excellence,” Doug Young, sector vice president and general manager, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, said in a statement in September. 

Just how much of the bomber will be revealed to the public Friday remains to be seen. “You probably won’t see it from all aspects,” Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost, Global Strike Command’s director of strategic plans, programs, and requirements predicted earlier this year, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

First Glimpse

The Air Force is broadcasting the unveiling of the B-21 Raider online Friday, December 2, at 8 p.m. EST  on its Facebook page.

“Designed to operate in tomorrow’s high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America’s enduring airpower capability,” the Air Force said.

We can’t wait for the world to see the real thing. Join us for a live-stream of the reveal of B-21 Raider this Friday: https://t.co/4ZHRxsU8TX

This changes everything. #DefiningPossible #RiseoftheRaider pic.twitter.com/GwU8i8Wl6n

— Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) November 27, 2022

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 aircraft that will form the backbone of the service’s bomber force.

The first B-21 flight is projected for 2023 and will be scheduled based upon the outcomes of ground tests, Northrop Grumman said. The stealth bomber is designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions and is slated to hit full operations in the mid-2020s.

• READ MORE: First B-21 Aircraft Marks Ground Testing Milestone

The post USAF Readying for Big B-21 Raider Reveal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Fast-forward to April 1996, and another stealth-focused design was unveiled to the public with decidedly less fanfare. One look at the aircraft explained why. Rather than portraying a dark, ominous look, like the preceding two types, the Northrop Tacit Blue battlefield surveillance aircraft furrowed eyebrows and evoked more confusion than awe.

With a widely-spaced V-tail, a bulbous fuselage, and a large chine wrapping around the fuselage and giving it a boxy look from above or below, the Tacit Blue looked more bizarre than intimidating. Despite being engineered for low radar observability, this was not immediately apparent at first glance, and it lacked the matte black color of other stealth aircraft. Those working in the program gave it the nickname “Whale” and “Alien School Bus.”

The unconventional look of the Tacit Blue could be explained by the unique approach and constraints undertaken by the design engineers. They followed two requirements. The first was to create an efficient stealth reconnaissance aircraft that could loiter at low speeds near a battle zone while remaining undetected by the enemy. The second was to design the aircraft around a large side looking array radar (SLAR) with which the crew could provide real-time targeting data to a ground command center.

This was rather opposite from the existing convention. Historically, radar systems had been designed to accommodate an individual aircraft’s space and payload restrictions. But in the case of the Tacit Blue, they designed the aircraft around the radar.

This resulted in a unique airframe shape with odd proportions, and correspondingly unique solutions had to be found to make it flyable. The wing, for example, was just over 48 feet in span and utilized the 1930s-era Clark Y airfoil. An airfoil utilized by the Hawker Hurricane and the Spirit of St Louis, this was chosen in part for its efficient low-speed performance that provided good endurance. The aircraft was naturally unstable, however, so Northrop engineers designed a quadruple-redundant digital fly-by-wire flight control system to remedy this.

Two Garrett ATF3-6 turbofan engines—like those used in the Dassault Falcon 20—were selected to power the Tacit Blue. Unlike the Falcon, however, the engines were buried in the aft fuselage, necessitating the use of a single dorsal intake that fed both engines. This complicated certain operational aspects such as engine starting, but it also provided valuable internal space that could be used to cool the engine exhaust, reduce infrared emission, and help keep the aircraft from being detected by the enemy.

With all four flight control computers operating normally, pilots reported excellent flying and control characteristics. Predictably, these characteristics deteriorated as computers failed or were taken off line. Without any of the flight control computers operating, a Northrop vice president described the Tacit Blue as one of the most unstable aircraft ever flown. An engineer likened the stability with one operating computer to that of the notoriously unstable Wright Flyer.

Over a three-year period, test pilots logged approximately 250 hours in the Tacit Blue, validating both the stealth technology incorporated into the airframe as well as the massive SLAR contained inside. The resulting data aided in the development of several weapon systems, including one that evolved into the E-8 Joint STARS radar system. Additionally, multiple stealth characteristics were incorporated into the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.

Only one Tacit Blue was built. Today, it remains on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

The post Northrop Tacit Blue: Ugly Duckling of Stealth Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Northrop Grumman released the save-the-date announcement on social media Thursday with an image of the aircraft under a sheet.

On Dec. 2, we’ll unveil the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft. Stay tuned for your first look at the B-21 Raider. https://t.co/y5TJ8wOkY8 pic.twitter.com/SEWbsmVZR3

— Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) October 20, 2022

Six B-21 bombers are currently in final assembly at the manufacturer’s facility in Palmdale, California. The B-21 is the first new bomber for the Air Force in more than 30 years, according to reports.

• READ MORE: Report: Air Force Backs Off Pairing B-21 Bomber With Combat Drone

While the rollout date for the aircraft developed in secret has been revealed, questions remain about specifically how much of the bomber will be revealed to the public during the event. “You probably won’t see it from all aspects,” Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost, Global Strike Command’s director of strategic plans, programs, and requirements said last month, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The first B-21 flight is projected for 2023 and will be scheduled based upon the outcomes of ground tests, Northrop Grumman said. The stealth bomber is designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions and is slated to hit full operations in the mid-2020s.

Earlier this year, the manufacturer announced the aircraft had successfully completed loads calibration testing. The ground testing milestone in early May focused on instrument calibration and verifying structural integrity of the bomber. Following the testing, the aircraft was then expected to proceed into additional ground testing phases, which include powering up the aircraft, subsystem testing, engine runs, and low-speed and high-speed taxi tests. 

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 aircraft that will form the backbone of the service’s bomber force.

The B-21 Raider, along with modified B-52s, will form a two-bomber fleet that will incrementally replace the aging fleet of B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit bombers.

• READ MORE: First B-21 Aircraft Marks Ground Testing Milestone

Last year, the Air Force announced the B-21 Raider is headed to Edwards Air Force Base, California, where the 420th Flight Test Squadron will plan, test, analyze, and report all ground and flight testing.

The first operational B-21 Raider unit will be located at Ellsworth Air Force Base (KRCA), South Dakota—the training grounds of the B-17 Flying Fortresses in 1942. B-21s are also heading to Whiteman Air Force Base (KSZL) in Missouri, and Dyess Air Force Base (KDYS) in Texas.

The post Northrop Grumman Announces B-21 Raider Unveiling Date appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to the DOD, Pratt & Whitney will develop 152 PW-100 engine variants, of which 108 will be for the Air Force, 29 for the Navy, and 15 for the Marine Corps. Another 26 PW-600 engines will be made for the Marine Corps’ F-35B variant that has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. 

Pratt & Whitney will also develop parts and materials for the engines for non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, per the contract. Finally, provisions were made in the budget to develop a short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) developmental test engine for flight test efforts.

The contract seems to solidify the DOD’s commitment to the F-35. However, not all government agencies are as sold on the program. In April, the GAO published a report that said the DOD had already purchased a third of all the available F-35s before even determining whether the aircraft would be ready for full-rate production. Moreover, it said operational testing of the F-35s kept getting delayed because of holdups in building a simulator for the aircraft. Plus, the modernization effort for the fighter jet is now delayed by at least four years because of increasing equipment costs and schedule delays. 

The DOD has spent more than $1.7 trillion to buy, operate, and sustain the F-35 program, making it the most expensive weapons system program in the U.S military. The modernization program is now expected to be completed in 2029.

Acknowledging the growing cost of the F-35 program in an update to investors recently, Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) CEO, Jim Taiclet, said the fighter is worth the investment as it is “unmatched as an aircraft,” primarily because of its stealth capability and survivability in hostile environments. Taiclet even shared that U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown described the F-35 as “the quarterback of the U.S. Air Force future strategy because of all those capabilities.” However, he admitted that the pandemic, increasing inflation costs, and some lower international orders were some of the drivers that are now pushing the F-35s to cost between $77 and $101 million per aircraft, depending on the variant.

Given the recent $4.4 billion contract with Pratt & Whitney, the F-35 program is moving forward regardless of cost. The contract with Pratt & Whitney is expected to be completed in September 2024. The DOD said more than 25 percent of the work would be completed in Connecticut, the company’s home state. Deliveries would begin this year and continue through 2025.

If Pratt & Whitney exercises all of the available contract options, it could produce up to 518 engines for the program, valued at $8 billion altogether.

The Pentagon’s newly appointed director of the F-35 Joint Program Office, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, will now face the tall task of working with Lockheed and some of its contractors, like Pratt & Whitney, to rein in the cost of the fighters.

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