Dec. 5—Muffled in the U.S. Air Force's ballyhooed reveal of the new Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider — the engines powering the stealth bomber, made by East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney and parent Raytheon Technologies.
The B-21 is the Air Force's first new bomber since the 1989 debut of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, with both using a "flying wing" design to reduce the odds of showing up on radar, which uses four engines from GE Aviation. The Air Force has yet to specify how many engines will power the B-21.
Military trade publications have cited analyst speculation that the B-21 engine may be a variant of the F135 engine Pratt & Whitney makes for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Pratt & Whitney recently completed its 1,000th engine under the F135 program.
"The F135 ... is the safest, most capable and best-value, military jet engine in operation," said Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes, speaking last month on a conference call. "We're working on the F135 engine core upgrade. ... This will allow the F135 to provide even more thrust, range and electrification to the aircraft."
Northrop Grumman built 21 B-2 bombers. The Air Force is aiming higher for the B-21, with the goal of obtaining 100 bombers even as it continues to explore hypersonic missile technology to penetrate today's air defenses through raw velocity rather than stealth.
During the third quarter, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Raytheon a $1 billion contract to develop its proposed Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile designed to fly above Mach 5.
Raytheon subsidiary Collins Aerospace is also providing systems for the B-21 Raider, with Collins a major employer in the Hartford region. Northrop Grumman will assemble the B-21 bomber in California, with six initial aircraft currently in production. The Air Force has yet to reveal a target date for flight tests.
[email protected]; @casoulman
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