By
Theresa Hitchens on June 03, 2021 at 3:25 PM
WASHINGTON: The novel requirements and acquisition processes being used to develop the B-21 bomber will slash the time it will take to get the Raider to initial operating capability (IOC), Air Force Global Strike Commander Gen. Timothy Ray says.
In a wide ranging interview with Mitchell Institute Dean David Deptula today, Ray also revealed that the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile being developed for the conventional bomber fleet will undertake another flight test next month, after failing the first flight test of its booster in April.
B-21: Fast Forward
As one example of how the new approach is speeding B-21 development, Ray told the Mitchell Institute today he expects integrating the AGM-158/B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) onto the B-21 will be a breeze compared to what it took to fit the B-2 with the ground attack cruise missile.
By
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on March 01, 2021 at 1:26 PM
A B-52 bomber carrying the ARRW.
First, Michael White warned, future tests must not be marred by sloppy mistakes: “If [for example], we forgot how to do a checklist and tighten a pin on a fin, and we lose a flight vehicle because our fin falls off, that’s not acceptable failure. …. Quite frankly, we’ve got a ways to go. I’m not going to be satisfied with the health of the industrial base until we are routinely, successfully flying hypersonic weapons in our prototype development program. And so far we haven’t been able to do that routinely.”