United State WAR BIRDS... Honoring The Warriors!

[aFarewellToKings]

The B-1B Lancer is the Air Force's bomber backbone. It has the largest payload capacity of any aircraft in the fleet, is multi-mission capable, and can carry and deliver huge quantities of both precision and nonprecision weaponry.
View attachment 5430909

Largest internal payload.
B-52 can carry more, because of the external mount points.
B-1's external mount points were banned by one of the nuclear treaties. But B-1 is no longer a nuclear platform.
They've started using one of them for a targeting pod, and there was talk of freeing up the others for weapons. No idea if they've ever done anything about it.

 

[aFarewellToKings]

But B-1 would be a better platform without weapons hanging off it.

When they first added improved conventional weapons capability, it started being used along with fighters.
There was a big concern that the B-1 would give away their position to enemy radars (because it is so much larger).

At the first Red Flag or Green Flag exercise where they packaged them with fighters, they found that the B-1 was much more successful when alone.

Although the F-15s and F-16s are much smaller and have a generally smaller "radar cross section", when they carry weapons externally (the only way they can attack most anything) the RCS increases massively.
All the angles between the aircraft and pylons, and pylons and weapons, and angles on the weapons make huge reflectors.

Sometimes a clean shape is a decided benefit.

 

[keith089]

Largest internal payload.
B-52 can carry more, because of the external mount points.
B-1's external mount points were banned by one of the nuclear treaties. But B-1 is no longer a nuclear platform.
They've started using one of them for a targeting pod, and there was talk of freeing up the others for weapons. No idea if they've ever done anything about it.

Wrong, B1 Carries 84 500 pounders. B52 only 80. And I can know those external plates off in 20 minutes. one nut, safety wire and a hammer.just as the use of the Fwd bay and its floating bulkhead. It was part of start and salt 2/ I was on the team. It no longer exists.the sniper pod is not on one of the ALCMS pods. They just did a block upgrade to the rotary to add more

 

[keith089]

But B-1 would be a better platform without weapons hanging off it.

When they first added improved conventional weapons capability, it started being used along with fighters.
There was a big concern that the B-1 would give away their position to enemy radars (because it is so much larger).

At the first Red Flag or Green Flag exercise where they packaged them with fighters, they found that the B-1 was much more successful when alone.

Although the F-15s and F-16s are much smaller and have a generally smaller "radar cross section", when they carry weapons externally (the only way they can attack most anything) the RCS increases massively.
All the angles between the aircraft and pylons, and pylons and weapons, and angles on the weapons make huge reflectors.

Sometimes a clean shape is a decided benefit.

The B1 has one of the smallest radar signatures on this planet, and jams like a mutha

 

[keith089]

Tiny

 

[aFarewellToKings]

The B1 has one of the smallest radar signatures on this planet, and jams like a mutha

Guess what system I spent 25 years working on?

 

[keith089]

Guess what I was a SME on.
not knowing the b52 airframe, it will be around longer than the Bone.
but when it puts out 64000 lbs of thrust , flys terrain following and the tail flys it when the wings hit 37 degrees. Then we can talk.
that’s why they are all beat to hell.

 

[keith089]

I take it your an Engineer or a Conehead

 

[keith089]

I might know you

 

[aFarewellToKings]

I take it your an Engineer or a Conehead

Formerly lead sw eng on '161