The device, B-21 Raider, has technological advances that make it invisible, capable of launching nuclear bombs and flying without a pilot.
The United States is about to put on the air a extraordinary Stealth Bomber Aircraft, that you can hear but not see, designed in secret for years as part of the Pentagon’s response to China’s military buildup. The device is a true technological monster that can even fly without a pilot.
The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber in more than 30 years. Almost all aspects of the project they are classified. Artist renderings released so far reveal a slight resemblance to the B-2 Spirit, which is the model it will replace.
The bomber is part of American efforts to mmodernize the three legs of its nuclear triad, including air-launched, submarine-launched, and silo-launched atomic ballistic missiles. It is a bold step with an eye particularly on the People’s Republic.
China is on track to increase its arsenal to 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035, and has made significant achievements in hypersonic level, cyber warfare, and space capabilities.
According to the Pentagon, in its report this week, the Asian giant presents today “the most important systemic challenge to US security.” “We needed a new bomber for the 21st century that would allow us to face much more complicated threatsDeborah Lee James, Secretary of the Air Force, said when the contract to build the B-21 Raider was announced in 2015.
The plane is the solution to that demand: “It has more survivability and can take on those tougher threats.”
While the Raider may resemble the B-2, the similarities aren’t that great, explained Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., the company in charge of developing and building the plane.
“The way it operates is extremely advanced compared to the previous model, so the evolution that technology has undergone in terms of computing power,” Warden said.
There is also a change in the materials used in the skins that make the bomber more difficult to detect. Adds new ways to control electronic emissions, so you can falsify the information They detect enemy radars and disguise themselves as another object. It also added new technologies in the propulsion system.
You hear it but you don’t see it
In a fact sheet, Virginia-based Northrop Grumman said, without elaborating, that work was being done to make the plane much stealthier. “When we talk about low chance of being observed, it is really low. You hear it, but you don’t really see it.” Warden said.
A total of six B-21 Raiders are in production. The Air Force plans to build up to a hundred. Each will be able to deploy nuclear and conventional weapons, and can even be flown without a human crew. A merit of the project has been its speed, it was crowned in seven years from the award to the debut. Other fighter and ship programs have taken decades.
The cost of the bombers is unknown. The original price was $550 million for each unit that would now have grown to 753 million, but it’s unclear how much the Air Force is investing. The fact that the price is not public worries government control agencies.
Actually, the true costs will be known when the Raider returns for the first time, what will happen only in 2023 and that is when his true condition will be known. Northrop Grumman has so far corroborated the performance of the device with a digital model.