For this new aircraft, many people immediately pulled it out to compare it with the B-2A stealth strategic bomber, and then extended many speculations on technical and tactical performance indicators.
However, compared with the events publicly displayed in the United States this time, and the speculations on technical and tactical indicators, the biggest highlight should be Northrop Grumman's own essay. Let’s briefly sort out the relevant eight-legged essays and come up with the following keywords:
Sixth generation, stealth, cloud, open architecture, digital twin...
No matter what, just looking at these keywords is absolutely high-end and full of technology.
The word "sixth generation" is very eye-catching. This word is very close to us and seems to be very far away. Many countries are engaged in the sixth generation of machines, but in terms of specific concepts, there is currently no basic unified framework in the academic community. This is like Russia created the Armata tank. Russia said it was the fourth generation tank, but not many people bought it.
More times, the sixth generation term is often linked to fighter , but in the context of sixth generation fighter , the bomber is only heard but not seen. It is somewhat abrupt. Could it be that the B-21 has exceeded the scope of traditional bombers and has certain fighter attributes?
Grumman's own eight-legged article explains that the B-21 adopts the next generation of stealth technology, advanced network capabilities and open system architecture, optimizes the high-end threat environment, which will help the US Air Force play a key role in completing its most complex tasks.
In other words, the reason why Grumman calls the B-21 the world's first sixth-generation fighter is mainly based on the fact that the B-21 adopts a large number of new technologies and new concepts that are different from previous models, that is, technology brings new positioning.
Speaking of stealth technology, the United States was the first to play this thing, and it was also the first country to put it into practice and practical application. From F-117 to F-22, F-35, and then to B-2, the United States has deep technical accumulation and precipitation from appearance design to stealth materials and paints, etc. It is not surprising that
uses more advanced stealth technology on B-21. The United States can reduce the reflection cross-sectional area of radar to 0.01 square meters on the F-22 15 years ago. In subsequent use and practice, upgrading the existing technology is an inevitable trend, so there is no need to discuss it too much here.
can only say that the stealth performance of B-21 will definitely improve by magnitude compared to the previous models. This tells everything from its positioning. Anti-stealing technology is different now. If the B-21 wants to fight in a high-end threat environment, there is no invisible coat that cannot be done no matter what.
As for this cloud technology, it is quite complicated and non-professionals cannot explain it clearly. Such unprofessional people can only throw bricks and make a secret and explore the door. It is closely related to another keyword "digital twin".
In the words of Doug Young, former general manager of Grumman's department, said: B-21 is a true digital native. This data rights agreement combined with a cloud-based digital twin allows us to reduce risks, achieve rapid capability upgrades, and reduce the maintenance costs of the entire project.
implies that it can migrate data originally stored in the ground system to to the cloud environment, and then derive a digital version of twin aircraft to support the operation, maintenance and other operations of the entire B-21. In this way, on the one hand, the combat readiness rate of the B-21 can be improved, and on the other hand, it can also reduce the cost of use and give the aircraft the potential for rapid upgrades.
is the so-called open architecture.In layman's terms, the B-21 has taken into account the subsequent upgrade work from the beginning of its design. As long as it is necessary, the B-21 can carry out targeted and rapid upgrades without changing the body frame to cope with the ever-changing threat environment. The rapid upgrade of
is mainly based on the software chain. New technologies, capabilities and weapons can be seamlessly combined through flexible software upgrades and internal hardware flexibility. In other words, in the absence of major changes in appearance, what we see today may be the 1.0 version, and tomorrow we may see the upgraded 2.0 version.
At the Zhuhai Air Show not long ago, the domestic J-20 stealth fighter landed on the ground for the first time. According to the information disclosed by the pilot, although the appearance of the J-20 participating in the exhibition has not changed much, many internal avionics and other systems have been upgraded. B-21 also roughly has this ability.
We briefly sorted out the keywords of B-21, whether it is the world's first sixth-generation machine, the next-generation stealth technology, or the relatively high-end cloud system, digital twin and open architecture. The United States has done so much, and one of its core goals is to enable the B-21 to operate efficiently in the US Air Force combat system and play an important role.
From the appearance, B-21 is slightly smaller than B-2, which means that it actually has many hard indicators such as bomb load and range that are not necessarily comparable to B-2A. The landing gear dual wheels it uses are not four wheels of B-2A, which already illustrates this. What is commendable is that it is easier to use than the predecessor B-2A, can be pulled out at any time, and the scale can also be increased. This is officially the core indicator that the US Air Force attaches most importance to the B-21. In order to achieve this core indicator, the application of advanced technologies serves this core, from cloud technology to digital twins to open architectures. The application of
cloud system, digital twins and open architecture not only comprehensively helps improve the combat capability of B-21, but also reduces the cost of use in all aspects from basic maintenance to combat readiness deployment. This is crucial to the current US Air Force. Otherwise, even though you hold a heavy punch like B-2A in your hand, you often cannot see the heavy punch where you need it most.
It is certain that for us, the greater threat to the launch of B-21 has never been the application of new technologies that are high-profile and vocabulary descriptions, but the increase in the number of B-21s after reducing costs and improving combat readiness rates and reducing maintenance costs. The threat brought by the increase in the number of new technologies is the real most urgent one. The new technology of
B-21 revolves more around combat readiness and maintenance, and does not have substantial outstanding specific strike capabilities. Of course, it is not ruled out that the "loyal wingman" system of fighter jets will be integrated in the future by relying on an open architecture. However, it is undeniable that the B-21 can carry the nuclear and permanent weapon system.
As the world's most advanced and latest generation of strategic bomber , the United States has used all the technologies that can be used, which means that a reference template has been formed. This may be bad news for latecomers who are still on the road, but it is also good news. New concepts and new references. Some people have set out on the way, and latecomers will be relatively relaxed.
In other words, the B-21 is not as impeccable as the United States itself said. Its biggest advantage is that it has been developed one step ahead. With the maintenance of technical advantages, there is a possibility of repeating the outcome of the F-22 if you are not careful. The lessons to be learned are there. In the next step, in addition to polishing the "sword" in our hands, we are more important to strengthen the improvement of anti-stealing combat power of sea and air and cultivate the golden eyes of fire. As long as we can find the true body of the B-21, all problems will be solved.
At this stage, the strength of the land-based anti-stealth radar, the sea-based 10,000-ton large-wheel drive dual-band radar and the 052D "fly swatter" are far from enough. In the near future, we will fight against the ocean. Practicing the igneous eyes is a key compulsory topic.
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