The decision to develop the strategic bomber was made in 2014. The project is responsible for the Northrop Grumman concern, which created the previous generation stealth missile carrier B-2 Spirit for the Pentagon. Assembly of the first flight model for the Air Force began in September 2019 and was first presented to the public on December 2, 2022 at the agency’s base in Palmdale, California. Currently there are about a dozen bombers in various stages of assembly.
The B-21 Raider has an aerodynamic flying wing design and is similar in appearance to its predecessor the B-2. True, it is more complicated: the wingspan is 45 meters against 52. The tactical and flight characteristics of the bomber have not been disclosed. However, it is known that the aircraft is subsonic, capable of a maximum speed of Mach 0.8. The device can carry up to nine tons of weapons – from high-precision cruise missiles JASSM-ER with a range of up to a thousand kilometers to nuclear bombs B-61 in the latest modifications.
B-21 developers claim to have significantly reduced the aircraft’s radar signature. In particular, it was reported that the radar of the modern Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system was unable to detect it at long and medium ranges. It is not yet clear whether this is real or an advertising slogan. In history, there have never been examples of military conflict between stealth bombers and an improved air defense system.
In addition, the creators of the aircraft claim that an open systems architecture was used in its design, which will help with subsequent upgrades in the future. The device can operate on an All-Domain Coordination and Control (JADC2) multi-domain information network and has advanced artificial intelligence. Future plans include developing an unmanned version, but it’s too early to talk about that. According to Pentagon estimates, the B-21 will be the main strategic bomber in the US Air Force until at least the middle of this century.
The Air Force’s original plans included the construction of 80-100 aircraft at a cost of $550 million each, followed by a possible expansion of the fleet to 175-200 units. These machines were intended to be a cheaper replacement for the B-2, each of which cost the US budget a billion dollars. However, by 2019, the price had jumped to 670 million, and now it is very close to a billion.
The primary role assigned to these bombers is to contain the PRC. Their job in the event of a hypothetical conflict is to penetrate deep into mainland China, attack ships and naval bases, disable key infrastructure facilities and destroy troop bases. It is intended to operate in conditions against active air defense measures. And if the conflict becomes a nuclear one, special weapons will be launched for strategic purposes. All this is entirely related to a hypothetical war with Russia.
2024-10-31 08:36:00
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