Message posted by Peter Merlin (Member since 11/13/2003) on February 27, 2023 at 10:49:42 PST:
It seems to be generally accepted that the RQ-180 was tested at Groom Lake. I would not be at all surprised if it played a large part in Northrop Grumman (NGC) winning the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) competition and being selected as the prime contractor for the B-21 Raider. The RQ-180 would have demonstrated technology maturation, manufacturing techniques, and systems capabilities. There is a lot of politics in contracting. Also, the government doesn't like to give a single manufacturer a monopoly. It is always good to keep as many companies in play as possible to maintain a wide state-of-the-art industrial base. Such a big win on the bomber front by NGC would likely place the other LRS-B contenders in a better position to pick up a contract for the NGAD. Also, Lockheed Martin is still pretty busy with F-35 production. Maybe that gave Boeing's Voodoo II a competitive edge as well.
In Reply to: Re: 6th generation aircraft with groom? posted by Altner on February 27, 2023 at 9:28:55 PST:
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