Ellsworth to be first operational B-21 base

[soryang]

Ellsworth to be first operational B-21 base
By: Stephen Losey

The Air Force announced on Wednesday that it has chosen Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to be the first base to house an operational B-21 bomber unit, as well as the formal training unit for the Raider.

Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas will follow, and receive B-21s as they become available, the Air Force said in a release.

“These three bomber bases are well-suited for the B-21,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in the release. “We expect the first B-21 Raider to be delivered beginning in the mid-2020s, with subsequent deliveries phased across all three bases.”

...

The Air Force plans to gradually retire the B-1 Lancers and B-2 Spirits once enough B-21s have been delivered, the Air Force said.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/03/27/ellsworth-to-be-first-operational-b-21-base/

[Chin music]

1. Hard to imagine yet another round of amazing aircraft are being retired in my lifetime.

Expensive planes. Precision killing and recon platforms. Beautiful aircraft.

[soryang]

2. Looks like their expecting to spend 27 billion for 50

Part of making the program "practical" in terms of size and cost was the b-52 extension program.
With standoff weapons being as sophisticated as they are now, the B-52 program or something like it, an airliner with a bomb bay filled with cruise missiles, appears to be the more cost effective option.

But the way these cash cows grow, an airliner modified to carry cruise missiles would end up costing just as much in the end. The target seems to be the national treasury.