Yeah Brown is one of my favorite authors. The B-1 modifications don’t seem too far fetched because it only changes the avionics, defensive systems, detection systems, and weapons, but the B-52 modifications do seem farfetched. No verticle stabilizer, new wings and new nose, that is some major modificaiton. Then to make it stealthy, the way the engine pods are mounted would have to be completly different, so that is a big problem.
You are probably quite right about the B-52. I do like the concept of “flying battleship” with B-1’s loaded up with amraams, harms, jdams etc. Google got a good point in doubting that a single bomber could do what it did in “Flight of the Old Dog”, but it makes a good story 🙂
Imagine taking a B-1, give it an off the shelf radar like F/A-18’s etc (or maybe it is possible to take any existing radar and increase dimensions to increase power, since there is a lot of space in the B-1 nose!). Some air to ground radar to get the picture on the ground, FLIR, cameras etc. Combine this stuff with a dozen amraams, half a dozen harm’s, loads of guided stand off weapons like jdam, Have Nap, harpoons, slams etc. Best electronic equipment available today and what have you got?
A platform that can handle a moderate air threat, sam suppression, serious air to ground and anti shipping. ECM like an EA-6B, battlefield recon like the P-3 did in Afghanistan and Iraq. And being a platform with looong legs and pretty survivable too!
I wouldn’t send it alone against a first line opponent, but it would be perfect for the kind of wars we’ve seen recently. And it shouldn’t take long to get it operational either. Something along this lines could be much better value than spending 30 years to build a cosmic super bomber…
Okay, a lot of loose threads in this project, but what do you guys think?
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