Monday, September 19, 2016

The U.S. Air Force's New Bomber Will Be Called The 'Raider'

An artist’s rendering of the B-21 Raider, the Air Force’s future long-range bomber. (Air Force graphic)

Washington Post: The Pentagon’s super-secretive bomber finally has a name: Raider

The Air Force’s secretive and stealthy new bomber has a name, the B-21 Raider, the Air Force announced Monday.

The name was unveiled by retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, a 101-year-old veteran who served as a member of the “Doolittle Raiders,” which embarked on an audacious plan to bomb Japan months after the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. Cole served as the co-pilot of Jimmy Doolittle, whom he has called “the greatest pilot in the world.”

The naming of the aircraft, to be built by Northrop Grumman, marks a significant milestone in a program that has been controversial almost from the start. After Northrop won the contract, the losing team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin protested the award. Critics have taken aim at the secrecy surrounding its cost. Analysts have also said that it is going to have to fight for funding every year, as it competes with other high-profile Air Force projects, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the KC-46 tanker.

Read more ....

WNU editor: For some reason I expected a better name. Sighhh ... so "Raider" it is.

10 comments:

fazman said...

Hades

Anonymous said...

Hanger Queen II.

Anonymous said...

Lightning III

Anonymous said...

Congressional Lightning Rod IV

fazman said...

Cylon raider

RRH said...

The Bamarang.

Jac said...

Well, the name.....what is important is the technical specifications.

Jay Farquharson said...

They rejected the much catchier, but longer name,

"Why most Americans are one paycheque away from Bankruptcy",

They also rejected :

"Corporate Welfare Vampire II"

Bob Huntley said...

Indestructible II

Anonymous said...

Treasury Raider is more like it.