{"id":64043,"date":"2022-12-06T01:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T01:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/12\/06\/fog-machines-short-lenses-no-iphones-managing-the-b-21s-rollout\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:42:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:42:42","slug":"fog-machines-short-lenses-no-iphones-managing-the-b-21s-rollout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/12\/06\/fog-machines-short-lenses-no-iphones-managing-the-b-21s-rollout\/","title":{"rendered":"Fog machines, short lenses, no iPhones: Managing the B-21\u2032s rollout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PALMDALE, Calif. \u2014 When it came time to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2022\/12\/03\/deterrence-the-american-way-the-new-b-21-bomber-debuts\/\" target=\"_blank\">roll out the Air Force\u2019s new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider<\/a>, the line between public transparency and revealing too much information was barely visible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDown 2 inches,\u201d a Northrop Grumman-jacketed security official firmly said to one of half a dozen press photographers, whose camera tripod slightly exceeded a 6-foot guideline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUp an inch, you\u2019re too low,\u201d another photographer was told a little later, as dusk turned to nighttime and natural light faded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The unveiling of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/techwatch\/2022\/11\/28\/northrops-b-21-is-almost-here-whats-next-for-the-stealthy-bomber\/\" target=\"_blank\">Northrop Grumman-made bomber<\/a> at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on Dec. 2 was a tightly stage-managed event, one designed to conceal as much as reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force set the security requirements for the ceremony to protect the technology on the Raider, and worked with Northrop Grumman \u2014 which organized the event \u2014 to ensure everyone knew the parameters. During the weeks leading up to the event, officials debated how much to show while maintaining the security to protect the bomber\u2019s secrets from Chinese or Russian eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The unveiling took place at a highly classified facility, one which is rarely visited by reporters. Uniformed security forces airmen and agents from the Air Force\u2019s Office of Special Investigations scanned the crowd. Visitors entered through full-height turnstile gates, and fences were topped with barbed wire to prevent intruders from climbing in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a stark difference from the last such event, when the B-2 Spirit bomber was revealed at Plant 42 more than three decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/12\/03\/deterrence-the-american-way-the-new-b-21-bomber-debuts\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_0760.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018Deterrence the American way\u2019: The new B-21 bomber debuts<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Air Force unveiled the Northrop Grumman-made B-21 Raider to the public Friday in a ceremony at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In November 1988, the Air Force debuted the B-2 in full daylight, and the bomber was towed completely out of its hangar. This somewhat backfired, when Aviation Week rented a Cessna and flew over the ceremony to snap pictures. <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationweek.com\/defense-space\/aircraft-propulsion\/story-behind-aviation-weeks-b-2-rollout-photo-scoop\" target=\"_blank\">Aviation Week\u2019s picture showed the B-2 from above<\/a> for the first time, including its trailing edge \u2014 an angle the Air Force hadn\u2019t planned on revealing until much later, and that reportedly caused much consternation among Edwards Air Force Base officials working on the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But on Friday, the ceremony didn\u2019t begin until dusk, and the bomber wasn\u2019t shown until the sun had completely set. When it was shown, it was illuminated with blue light and some artificial fog. And this time, the B-21 didn\u2019t come all the way out of the hangar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tableau of the nighttime reveal wasn\u2019t just dramatic showmanship, Heritage Foundation expert John Venable told Defense News Monday. It also may have served to obscure classified details, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the Air Force released another photograph of the B-21 later on Friday, it clearly showed the bomber\u2019s skin is a lighter shade of silvery-gray. This wasn\u2019t immediately apparent during the ceremony, as the lighting cast much of the bomber, particularly its underside, in shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The B-21 was also towed to 75 feet from the photography riser, and its back \u2014 including details such as its engines and trailing edge \u2014 could not be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Venable expects that level of secrecy to continue for the foreseeable future. And given the level of classification involved with the B-21 and sensitivity of the program, he said, that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re going to keep it under wraps as long as they can,\u201d Venable said. \u201cMy imagination says they will only fly it at night [and] only roll it out of hangars at night, so that it becomes that much harder for you to get an idea [of what is on the plane]. You can tell a lot by the wing line, by the inlets, by a bunch of other things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Members of the press had to follow strict guidelines about what equipment they could bring into which sections of the highly classified facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, iPhones, smart watches and other mobile devices \u2014 with their high-resolution, zoomable cameras, video recording, and transmission capabilities \u2014 were not allowed anywhere near the Raider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before reporters were let into the hangar where the cloaked Raider sat for a pre-ceremony briefing with Air Force and Northrop Grumman officials, they had to turn off their devices and hand them to Northrop Grumman employees, who then locked them into secure Yondr pouches. The devices were returned after the rollout, outside of the ceremony area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And press photographers were given a list of<b> <\/b>requirements for the equipment they could use to shoot the bomber. If anyone tried to dodge these rules, they were warned, their cameras would be held by Northrop Grumman until the Air Force could conduct a security review of the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An uncompromising limit on camera lens size was set at 50 millimeters, which meant no zooming in on the plane. The photography riser was placed right in the middle, looking straight down the B-21\u2032s nose, without views of its side or at an angle. Cameras had to be mounted on tripods at exactly 6 feet \u2014 no higher, no lower. With the 3-foot-tall riser, that placed the cameras at 9 feet, about level with the edge where the upper and lower parts of the bomber joined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It sometimes made for a tense scene on the riser, as one photographer of a slightly shorter stature protested he wouldn\u2019t be able to see through the viewfinder if the camera was at 6 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Venable said the height requirement was likely set so no images were taken that could reveal sensitive aspects of the bomber\u2019s top or bottom surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I was to speculate, it\u2019s that there are apertures and there are things that are invisible at the nine-foot line that you would be able to actually read into\u201d with a higher or lower view, Venable said. \u201cThis airplane is supposed to be so revolutionary that it\u2019s got to have something that\u2019s worth masking. The bottom and the top and the back of the airplane are going to reveal a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And at the end of the ceremony, Northrop Grumman chief executive Kathy Warden hinted this would be the public\u2019s last glimpse of the Raider for a while \u2014 at least until its first flight next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe next time you see this plane, it\u2019ll be in the air,\u201d Warden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then as pulsing music played, the lights dimmed, the bomber returned to its hangar, and the doors slid shut, once again leaving the B-21 in the shadows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reporters and photographers invited to view the B-21&#8217;s public debut at the highly secure Air Force Plant 42 had to follow strict security guidelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":112140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","left-column","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"}}},"categories":[7,160,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3412],"class_list":["post-64043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2IZRURXUZJAEXHGSQCUF26V66Y","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2022\/12\/06\/fog-machines-short-lenses-no-iphones-managing-the-b-21s-rollout\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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