[MilCom] Re: B-1 bomber crashes at base in Middle East/B-52

[Duane Mantick]

If I had to speculate (even with "B-3" being
apparently not even fixed for mission/specs/etc) I'd
guess that at least early on, it will still be a
manned bomber (that could change).  Almost certainly a
stealthy platform.  And probably a requisite is that
it HAS to cost less per airframe than a B-2.  That
will probably mean either certain aspects of
design/materials will either be taken down a few pegs
from "cutting edge" OR it will be taken as an
assumption that in the intervening years today's
"cutting edge" will be commonplace enough to be less
expensive to build.  How that will happen without
building something that way, I don't know, but again
it's speculation.  A reduction in physical size is
likely to also keep costs down; with the acceptance
that it will NOT be "carpet bombing"; rather, I'd
suspect that precision strikes will be an emphasis on
more targets than say, an F-117 but fewer than
anything big currently available.

That's what my gut tells me when I throw on the
"speculator cap".  :-)

Duane

--- Declared_Hostile <Declared_Hostile at marktwain.net>
wrote:
<snip>

> There is a plan for a next generation bomber, the
> B-3.  There have been 
> a couple of different proposals as to what
> capabilities the B-3 should 
> have and what the performance requirements should
> be.
> 
> B-1s and B2s are slated to be around until 2037 and
> B-52s until 2045. 
> B-52s flying in 2045 sorta boggles the mind when you
> consider they first 
> flew in 1952.
> 
> 
> So it is going to be a while before the current
> bombers retire and the 
> B-3 comes online although there have been some
> things said recently that 
> could lead one to believe that the research on a B-3
> may be farther 
> along than what is generally thought.
> 
> Oh and I haven't heard any B-2s out and about since
> the crash on Guam. 
> They're apparently not technically grounded but
> they're not taking any 
> chances flying them until they find out the cause of
> the crash.
> 
> DH
> 


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