Ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.09.22 17:02
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The next-generation American stealth strategic bomber, the B-21 radar, will make its first appearance at the end of the year. The arrival of a new bomber for the first time in 30 years is expected to greatly improve the long-range strike capability of the US military. It is also listed as a new strategic asset that will fly to the Korean Peninsula (Korean Peninsula) to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
The US Air Force will present the B21 for the first time in the first week of December at the Northrop Grumman aircraft manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California. The US Air Force plans to gradually withdraw the B1 “Lancer” supersonic bomber and B2 “Spirit” stealth bomber and replace them with the B21. More than 100 aircraft are expected to be deployed by 2025.
The United States has high expectations for the introduction of the B21. This is because not only can it replace existing bombers, which are seriously aging, but it can also aim for strategic efficiency and budget savings.
In the case of the B1, which was actually produced in the 1980s, 17 were retired in September last year and 45 are currently in operation. According to the Second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START2) signed by the United States and Russia in 1993, the B1 cannot carry nuclear weapons. It also has no stealth capabilities.
Since the late 1990s, the US Air Force has only introduced about 20 strategic B2 stealth bombers. This is because the Cold War is over and no additional production has been made. Eventually, manufacturing costs, including development costs, jumped to nearly $ 2 billion per aircraft. Experts say the maintenance cost is not small because it is an old stealth aircraft developed 30 years ago.
The B21 is a flying wing similar in appearance to the B2. Both were developed by Northrop Grumman.
However, the aircraft is smaller than the B2 and the armament load is about half, about 13.5 tons. Experts predict that the aircraft’s small size will make it stealthier and more efficient to operate.
You no longer need to be obsessed with ammunition carrying capacity as it is equipped with various smart bombs capable of precision guided bombing. Although the amount of weaponry it carries has decreased, it can also carry a “Super Bunker Buster”, a super large conventional bomb that destroys underground structures.
The B21 is expected to carry not only tactical nuclear weapons, but also hypersonic missiles (AGM-183ARRW), which are currently in the final stages of development. The missile flies at speeds above Mach 5 and has a range of 1,600 kilometers.
More than 100 aircraft will be produced and the launch price per aircraft will drop to the $ 550 million level.
Yang Wook, deputy researcher at the Asan Policy Research Institute, said: “If the B21 becomes a force to some extent, it will be possible not only to deploy it on the Korean peninsula, but also to deploy it temporarily or cyclically. It is much more threatening than bombers. B1 and B52, which have no stealth capabilities. If deployed at any time, it will further threaten US extended deterrence. “
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