IRIA News

U.S. Air Force and defense giant Northrop Grumman unveiled the latest B-21 Raider stealth strategic bomber on December 2, 2022, at the U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California.

The latest B-21 Raider stealth bomber plane has been under development in the cloak of secrecy for a long time. The B-21 Raider is a high-tech stealth bomber that will replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bomber fleet. It is a long-range, highly survivable bomber, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin was present during the ceremony. Austin said, “This isn’t just another airplane… It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love.”

According to Austin, “The B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more than three decades” and it has been built on almost “50 years of advances in low-observable technology”. The latest stealth technologies used in the B-21 bomber make it difficult for “even the most sophisticated air-defense systems” to detect the bomber in the skies. Austin added that U.S. defense is rooted in deterrence, and the development of the B-21 again serves as a symbol.

The U.S. defense secretary highlighted that “The B-21 Raider is a testament to America’s enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation. And it’s proof of the Department’s long-term commitment to building advanced capabilities that will fortify America’s ability to deter aggression, today and into the future. Now, strengthening and sustaining U.S. deterrence is at the heart of our National Defense Strategy. This bomber was built on a foundation of strong, bipartisan support in Congress. And because of that support, we will soon fly this aircraft, test it and then move into production.”

Development of the B-21 bomber is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of its nuclear triad, which also includes the development of land-based nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as the Pentagon tries to catch up with China’s rapid military modernization. China is on track to develop at least 1500 nuclear warheads by 2035, as it also gains the upper hand in hypersonic weapons and cyber warfare capabilities.

Air Force Chief of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr., said during a press conference that “I’m really excited that we bring the B-21 Raider into the future. It’ll be the backbone of our bomber fleet”. Brown told reporters that “You think about what we’re able to do in the amount of time with the workforce here from Northrop Grumman, the collaboration with the United States Air Force to bring in a capability using a digital approach which is new and different from anything we’ve done any major program, that’s part of the Raider spirit.”

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems president Tom Jones said that “With the B-21, the U.S. Air Force will be able to deter or defeat threats anywhere in the world.” Northrop Grumman’s statement also highlighted that the new stealth bomber is “capable of networking across the battlespace to multiple systems, and into all domains.” The B-21 can “quickly evolve through rapid technology upgrades that provide new capabilities to outpace future threats” and it would be supported by a “digital ecosystem throughout its lifecycle”.

The U.S. Air Force release stated that Ellsworth Air Force Base will be the first Main Operating Base and the formal training unit for the strategic bomber. Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas would be the preferred locations for the remaining bases, according to the Air Force release.

Currently, six B-21 bombers are in various stages of final assembly in Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale facility in California. In May 2022, the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman confirmed that the first flight of the B-21 bomber is projected for 2023. “The actual timing of the first flight will be based on ground test outcomes,” Northrop Grumman said in a press release.

In 2015, defense firm Northrop Grumman was awarded the B-21 Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract by the U.S. Air Force. The company is working in collaboration with Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace, Janicki Industries, BAE Systems, Collins Aerospace, and Spirit Aerosystems on the B-21 program.

In 2018, the Air Force conducted a comprehensive weapon systems test, design maturity, stability, and risk evaluation. In 2021, the U.S. Air Force selected the Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota as the main operating base and location of the Formal Training Unit for the B-21 bomber.