Reference News Network, November 11 report: According to RIA Novosti on November 8, Washington is accelerating the development of the new B-21 "Raider" strategic bomber. For this, the United States has allocated an additional $4.5 billion from the budget. However, even with a large investment, it is highly unlikely that the Pentagon will obtain a large number of this type of bomber. RIA Novosti has made an outlook on the prospects of this project.

The United States began developing a new long-range bomber in 2014. The project was entrusted to Northrop Grumman, which had previously manufactured the previous generation of stealth strategic bombers, the B-2, for the Pentagon. In September 2019, the company began assembling the first prototype of the B-21 for the Air Force, and then in December 2022, it was first presented to the public at its factory in Palmdale. In September 2025, the second B-21 prototype began test flights, testing the integration of weapons and control systems. In addition, about 10 aircraft of this model are in different stages of assembly.

The B-21 "Raider" bomber adopts a "flying wing" aerodynamic layout, which looks similar to the previous generation B-2 bomber but is more compact: the wingspan is 45 meters, while the B-2 is 52 meters. The detailed tactical performance and flight technical parameters of the bomber have not been disclosed. However, it is known that the aircraft is subsonic, with a maximum speed of 0.8 Mach. The aircraft can carry up to 9 tons of weapons, including various types of munitions, ranging from extended-range joint air-to-surface standoff missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometers to the latest version of the B-61 nuclear aerial bomb.

The developers of the B-21 said that the radar detectability of the aircraft has been significantly reduced. It has been reported that the radar of the Russian S-400 "Triumph" air defense missile system cannot detect it at long and medium ranges. It is currently unclear whether this is a fact or just propaganda. Historically, there has been no military confrontation between stealth bombers and advanced air defense systems. However, in the Ukrainian battlefield, Russian air defense forces frequently shoot down Western precision-guided missiles made with stealth technology.

Additionally, the designers of the B-21 said that they used an open system architecture in the design, making future upgrades easier. The aircraft can operate within the information network of the joint all-domain command and control system and is equipped with advanced artificial intelligence systems. The subsequent plan includes developing an unmanned version of the aircraft, but it is still too early to talk about it. According to the Pentagon's assessment, the B-21 will be the main strategic bomber of the U.S. Air Force at least until the middle of this century.

Initially, the U.S. Air Force planned to purchase 80 to 100 of these aircraft, each costing $550 million, and may later expand the fleet to 175 to 200. The B-21 is considered a cheaper alternative to the B-2, which costs as much as $1 billion per aircraft. However, by 2019, the unit price of the B-21 had soared to $670 million, reaching $750 million in 2021, and now it is approaching $1 billion.

American military experts believe that it is difficult for the Pentagon to procure 100 B-21 bombers. American experts point out that although the cost of the B-21 is not as expensive as developing new technologies, the cost remains a problem if enough aircraft are to be produced. In addition, there are some problems with the technological basis. American experts believe that the Pentagon can obtain at most 20 to 30 B-21 bombers.

Even adding the existing 20 B-2 bombers in the U.S. military, 20 to 30 "Raiders" are clearly insufficient to cope with a large-scale war, since older strategic bombers are almost at the end of their service life. A 2021 aviation equipment inspection showed that among the 62 B-1 "Lancer" bombers in service, only six were combat-ready. The aircraft was essentially worn out. The B-1 bomber carried out thousands of combat missions, mainly concentrated in the Middle East, where the climate conditions were not suitable for the aircraft. That same year, Congress ordered the retirement of 17 of the most problematic B-1 bombers.

By 2030, the B-52 bombers that have been in service since 1955 will begin a large-scale retirement. A total of 744 of these aircraft were built, and only 72 are in service now. The lifespan of these aircraft has basically expired. (Translated by Han Ziling, Zhao Zhipeng)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571359191504405046/

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