Northrop Grumman's Secret X-Bomber

[amberchirique]

DTI editor Bill Sweetman looks at some contracts floating around the aerospace world, and has condluded that Northrop Grumman has been awarded "a classified Air Force contract to develop a secret bomber prototype", likely based on the now canceled J-UCAS program, probably based on the X-47B that NG is making for the Navy as a part of the UCAS-D program that succeded the J-UCas. He has a more detailed article here (Requires loading of proprietary Nxtbook reader), which indicates that the bomber would have a roughly 2000 mile range with a 14-28K pound bombload, which makes it about 1/2 the size of the B-2, and he theorizes that there may be some advances in terms of CFD and control systems. Of course, the one question that does not get answered is why we really need this.

[God Bless USA]

Is this a future replacement for the F-15E Strike Eagle?  Range and payload are close.  Someday in the future they will have to purchase more F-15E Strike Eagle's or maybe with the Northrop Grumman's Secret X-Bomber.  With the F-22 Raptors price tag so high, could you imagine the price tag of a stealth FB!

[iluveagles]

Define Fighter-Bomber............because the 22 can drop bombs..........

[God Bless USA]

The F-15E Strike Eagle is capable of carrying an external payload of up to 24,500 pounds.  It is a fighter and a ground support aircraft.  The last place I seen FB or fighter bomber is http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/fb-22.htm.  The F-22 Raptor does not have enough hard points on the wings and internal space to carry the amount of weapons the F-15E Strike Eagle can carry.  A small X-Bomber might be a aircraft to replace the F-15E Eagle.  Then again who know what it will be.  The reason I mentioned a possible replacement for the Eagle is they have a replacement for the F-16 and F-15C.

[shawn a]

Hi there,
Wow! a 2000 mile range! That wouldn't even reach Hawaii from the west coast. Yeah, that's something I'd like the government to spend my taxpayers' dollars on! C'mon on, there has to be something misread in that report!
Sorry about the sarcasm there, but I also feel there is something wrong with subsonic "stealthy" aircraft painted black that can only hit defended targets at night.
Whaddya think?
Shawn A.

[shawn a]

Oh, one more thing, the US cannot even choose a tanker and get it into production in 20 years, nor could we choose an executive helicopter for the president in 20 years, nor could we field a new fighter in 20 years, so what makes anyone think we could produce a new bomber in 10 years? Subsonic? "Stealthy"? I hope we're keeping our true abilities well hidden.
Anyone?

[shawn a]

Here we go- In the April '08 edition of DTI magazine the last paragraph of an article on directed energy weapons (lasers, in this case), says "the laser team is "very much" working with Northrop Grumman's next generation bomber team, as well"
So I assume we will see a laser weapon on this new bomber. But can it be done by 2018? Personally, I doubt it.
Shawn A

[Webmaster]

Maybe first flight in 2018...

The laser weapon doesn't have to be on it from the start.

[EEngineer]

it will be the killer ghost.

[shawn a]

Webmaster, maybe you're right-First flight in 2018 could be possible since it is a sole-source contract, and there can't be any moronic protest by a losing bidder. Also, perhaps it's been in development far longer than we think.
I still doubt it, though.

[Raptor]

well... Could be another "Aurora" conspiracy... 

it would be plain stupid to build an aircraft based on yesterday's technology...