On Friday the 3rd of December, at 30 minutes past midnight, America’s shining new grey-coated stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider rolled out of a hangar at Airforce Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The development of this new bomber began more than 11 years ago, and now looks set to revolutionise modern warfare.
The keyword for this aircraft is stealth. This refers to an aircraft’s ability to minimise how much it appears on radar systems. The B-21 is supposedly the stealthiest aircraft ever built, triumphing over its predecessor- the B-2 Spirit- which had an already miniscule radar cross-section of 0.05 metres squared. In fact, the designers of this aircraft, defence company Northrop Grumman, claim that its technology is two generations ahead of the formidable B-2.
What does this mean for the balance of power? Well, if the claims made about the B-21’s stealth capabilities are correct then it may be functionally invisible to many - if not all - air defence systems. This means it could fly almost anywhere it wanted- say, for example, over a Chinese invasion fleet trying to attack Taiwan- and drop the 9 tonnes of bombs and missiles it carries. This ability to penetrate enemy airspace with seeming impunity is a true game-changer when it comes to American strategic aviation, particularly considering the Air Force plans to buy at least 100 of them - 5 times more than they bought of the B-2.
Another important consideration is that of cost - this bomber is projected to cost around half as much as the $1 Billion B-2 Spirit, and generally to provide greater results for a lower cost. Furthermore, the B-21 Raider - named after a WW2 bomber squadron that executed a daring raid on Tokyo in 1942 - includes multiple other new, formidable features: for example, the ability to fly without a pilot, profoundly powerful data sharing capabilities and an “open architecture” approach to design that is intended to keep it as the most advanced bomber of the next 30-50 years. All these design features have led some to call it the world’s first 6th generation aircraft ; it is truly a milestone in the story of human technological progress.
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