Degerlund B-61 Wraith

Degerlund B-61 Wraith
Role	Bomber
National origin	Acrea
Manufacturer	Degerlund Flygsystemet AB
Design group	Degerlund Flygssystemet AB MDA Luftraumsystemet AB
Status	In active service
Primary user	Royal Acrean Air Force
Produced	2010—Present

The Degerlund B-61 Wraith is an Acrean four-engined heavy strategic bomber designed by Degerlund AB and Mattson-Dyrssen-Aestrup AB for the Royal Acrean Air Force. A development from the earlier B-51 Shiryo, the B-61 is designed to provide the RAAF with long range, penetrating precision strike capability.

Development

Development of a successor to the B-20 Spectre began even before its introduction. Initial requirements for the program were first issued in 1979. The requirements outlined both high-altitude and low-altitude terrain following mission profiles, as well as the core requirement of very low observable characteristics.

Variants

• B-61A: Initial production variant introduced in 2010.
• B-61B: Improved economised variant introduced in 2015. Radar-absorbent coatings and external construction were changed to that used on the EF-650 and EF-662C. In addition to increasing the stealth capabilities of the airframe, the B model's improvements also drastically reduced maintenance requirements and costs, and enabled the RAAF to economise the design. All initial A models were upgraded and retrofitted to B-61B standard by 2021. The B-61B is the basis for the B-71 Banshee.

Operators

Current Operators

• Acrean Air Force

Specifications (B-61B)

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 21 m
• Wingspan: 52.4 m
• Height: 5.18 m
• Wing Area: 478 sq. m (840 sq ft)
• Empty Weight: 71,700 kg
• Powerplant:
• Fuel Capacity: 75,750 kg

Performance

• Maximum Speed: Mach .98 at sea level
• Service Ceiling: 16,000 m

Armament

• Payload: 2 internal bays for ordnance with payload limit of 30,000 kg