According to Wikipedia:

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is a heavy bomber aircraft under development by Northrop Grumman. As part of the Long Range Strike Bomber program (LRS-B), it is to be a long-range, stealth strategic bomber for the United States Air Force capable of delivering thermonuclear weapons. A request for proposal to develop the aircraft was issued in July 2014.

The Air Force plans to purchase 80–100 LRS-B aircraft at a cost of $550 million each (2010 dollars). A development contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in October 2015. A media report states that the bomber could also be used as an intelligence gatherer, battle manager, and interceptor aircraft.

In May of 2016, the Air Force concluded a submission contest to name the newly developed B-21 bomber.  So, in September 10, 2016, I filed an FOIA request for a list/compilation of all the names submitted to the B-21.  Although I wasn’t the first to request the names, the Air Force originally denied access to the list. An appeal was filed (and later was accepted) for the list’s release, and as a result, the Air Force released the list to me as well.

Below, you will find the names submitted. Some of them – will make you laugh out loud!

Declassified Documents

 Declassified List of B-21 Name Submissions by the Public [64 Pages, 0.9MB] – There were 4,600 entries submitted in response to the B-21 Name Contest announced by Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James during the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in February 2016. The contest was open to Active, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen, along with their dependents. There were 2,120 unique names, many names had multiple entries is attached.

The post The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider first appeared on The Black Vault.

On February 26, 2016, the United States Air Force announced the “next generation” bomber, the B-21. Although not much is known, they did issue a press release:

Air Force reveals B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first rendering of the Long Range Strike Bomber, designated the B-21, at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla., and announced the Air Force will be taking suggestions from Airmen to help decide the name of the bomber.

“This aircraft represents the future for our Airmen, and (their) voice is important to this process,” James said. “The Airman who submits the selected name will help me announce it at the (Air Force Association) conference this fall.”

While there are no existing prototypes of the aircraft, the artist rendering is based on the initial design concept. The designation B-21 recognizes the LRS-B as the first bomber of the 21st century.

The reveal comes just weeks after both James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III delivered the fiscal year 2017 posture statement before the Senate Appropriations Committee, making it clear modernization is a top priority for the Air Force.

“The platforms and systems that made us great over the last 50 years will not make us great over the next 50,” Welsh said during his testimony on Capitol Hill Feb. 10. “There are many other systems we need to either upgrade or recapitalize to ensure viability against current and emerging threats… the only way to do that is to divest old capability to build the new.”

James said the B-21 will allow the Air Force to operate in tomorrow’s high end threat environment, and give the Air Force the flexibility and the capability to launch from the continental United States and deliver airstrikes on any location in the world.

James also explained why the B-21 shares some resemblance to the B-2.

“The B-21 has been designed from the beginning based on a set of requirements that allows the use of existing and mature technology,” James said.

The program recently entered into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase and the Air Force plans to field the initial capability of the aircraft in mid-2020s.

Discuss the B-21

• Black Vault Message Forum Discussion on the B-21

The post B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber first appeared on The Black Vault.

Because of its considerable capital and operations costs, the project was controversial in Congress and among Pentagon brass during its development and placement into service. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the United States scaled back initial plans to purchase 132 of the bombers. By the mid 1990s, Congress made appropriations to purchase a total fleet of just 21 of the bombers.

The Bush Administration’s Proposal for ICBM Modernization, SDI, and the B-2 Bomber [9 Pages]

The post B-2 “Stealth Bomber” first appeared on The Black Vault.