Message posted by greatguess on November 12, 2010 at 11:39:44 PST:
from 23Dec2009- The doors of the new hangar are only 166' wide so a 172' aircraft will not fit through. Below is my guess which i am sticking with at the moment. The Air Force has learned from the Navy – maybe for the first time. The Navy built a brand new airplane called the Super Hornet that looks a lot like the original F-18 Hornet but just said it was an upgrade to the existing airframe and they got away with it. The Air Force quietly watched and learned. The new aircraft(s) that will be tested at DLR and housed in the new hangar will be an upgrade to the B2A Spirit called the “B2 Super Spirit = B2SS”. The Air Force will push the concept of upgrades vice new development to its limits on this one; the B2SS will be unmanned and slightly smaller than the original B2A. Based on my analysis of hangar design satellite photos, I estimate a wingspan of 145 feet for the B2SS vs 172 feet for the B2A; I also predict that two prototypes will be built and tested. I predict the B2SS configuration will be very similar to that of the B2A. The major changes from the B2A will be elimination of the “human amenities systems” and replacement of those systems with recon systems; this will allow a smaller aircraft with approximately the same payload as the B2A. The B2SS will be capable of higher flight than the B2A which will enhance the B2SS’s survivability – 70K+? How about some sort of mission adaptable wing for aero or stealth purposes as well? Background info Northrop Grumman (NG) bought Teledyne Ryan who designed and built the original Global Hawk. NG have used the UAV knowledge that they now own to develop a UAV based on the B2A to create the B2SS. This line of thought isn’t rocket science. Northrop Grumman (NG) also bought Scaled Composites which might affect the surface coating of the vehicle from a low observable standpoint.
I am sticking with my guess posted 23Dec2009. I have conceptual drawings if anyone wants to see them. Whatever goes in the hangar needs to be of "flying wing" planform to fit two of them inside. Has anyone had any new ideas on what the hangar is for?
In Reply to: Re: Is this what the Large Hanger is intended for? posted by CFL2009 on November 12, 2010 at 10:33:20 PST:
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