The new Air Force One?? (Photo : Northrop Grumman)
Believe it or not, an American consulting firm has recommended the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider nuclear stealth bomber currently under development be considered a choice for the new Air Force One aircraft used exclusively by the President of the United States of America.
This proposal, which seem to be way out of this world, was made by consulting company Wright Williams & Kelly (WWK) based in Pleasanton, California whose expertise is software and consulting services.
The bean counting firm says the focus of its efforts is "to assist our clients in improving the productivity of their manufacturing operations while reducing their per-unit costs."
And in line with this focus, WWK issued a report suggesting major cost savings can be achieved by changing the requirements to allow smaller aircraft (like the B-21?) to be considered for Air Force One.
WWK said the passenger capacity of the B-21, which only seats two pilots, will have to be increased to accommodate the President and a few other aides. The president will conduct his business using encrypted communication systems.
The president and his staff will be crammed into the B-21's weapon bays that are normally packed with conventional smart bombs or missiles, or nuclear bombs, on an operational B-21 flown by the U.S. Air Force.
Additional White House staff and the media will have to fly in convoy aircraft accompanying the B-21 Air Force One.
WWK said the arguments in favor of the B-21 include unsurpassed survivability because of the plane's stealth, and protection against conventional and electronic attacks because of its advanced electronic systems.
The firm feels the B-21 can better deal with sophisticated surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) that might one day become available to radical Islamic terrorists. The bottom line is the survivability of Air Force One trumps all other considerations, including comfort.
Aviation experts say WWK's recommendations won't fly in the face of realities of the ground, the chief of which is the B-21 is optimized as a stealth bomber designed to destroy people and not transport people. Having the B-21 become a people carrier will require extensive refitting that will add enormously to the plane's overall cost.
The B-21 is being designed to bomb distant targets such as China, and can loiter for long periods over an area in search for targets of opportunity.
