In the world, the US military strength is indeed second to none, but it does have some characteristics of a "paper tiger." Taking bombers as an example, the actual situation of the four major strategic bombers of the US military is difficult to describe in a word, and it is wishful thinking to "deter China and Russia" through air superiority.
Recently, a B-1B strategic bomber of the US Air Force crashed while landing. The US military did not announce the cause of the accident, but some media pointed out that the bomber was lying belly down next to the runway of the airport, which can be seen that the landing gear is suspected to have failed.
Landing gear failures are one of the most frequent failures in the U.S. Air Force in recent years. This fault is usually divided into two types, one is when the landing gear is not lowered during landing, which is the most common, and the other is when the landing gear breaks during take-off or landing.
But in either case, what it reflects is the decline in the quality of the US Air Force's equipment and logistical support capabilities, as well as the aging of the Air Force's equipment.
The scene of the B-1B crash was reported on the Internet
This accident also made the actual situation of the bomber unit of the US Air Force represented by the B-1B once again become a hot topic of public opinion.
The B-1B Lancer is the only bomber in the US Air Force capable of flying at supersonic speeds, which entered service in the 80s of the last century. According to the original design, it can carry out nuclear strike missions with low-altitude and high-speed penetration capabilities, and the target is the Soviet Tu-160 "White Swan" strategic bomber.
However, with the development of modern air defense systems, the B-1B has since canceled the nuclear strike mission, and with its huge bomb load and long-distance attack capability, it has become an important precision bombing platform for the US military.
However, most of the B-1B bombers have been in service for a long time, the airframe structure is seriously aging, and the frequency of accidents is increasing, and now they have been banned from flying at low altitudes in daily training to prolong the life of the airframe.
Data from 2019 shows that of the 62 B-1Bs in service, fewer than 10 are ready for immediate mission. The U.S. military had planned to retire it a few years ago, but in order to maintain its "deterrent" against China and Russia and beautify the façade, Lao Ji had to continue to lie in ambush.
Look at the B-52 again. It is the longest-serving strategic bomber in the United States, which began service in the 50s of the 20th century, and today there are still 76 B-52Hs in service, the last one was built in 1962, and it is expected to be upgraded to B-52J and enter service until the 60s of the 21st century.
Despite being the oldest, it is the most reliable, mainly because it has an uncomplicated design and is extremely durable, while also boasting relatively low operating costs, a large payload capacity, and a range of up to 8,800 miles without in-flight refueling.
However, it is far from enough for this bomber to be used to "deter" a powerful opponent, because it does not have the ability to penetrate defenses, and its survivability is also very worrying, and its main practical use at present is to use it as a platform for testing weapons such as hypersonic missiles, as well as to maintain strategic nuclear deterrence on paper.
B-52 drops cluster bombs
As for the B-2, it is the most advanced stealth bomber in the United States and the most advanced stealth bomber currently in service in the world, and it is the key force of the US military's air-based nuclear strike, but this bomber has entered the retirement list.
After the B-2 entered service in 1997, the U.S. Air Force planned to purchase 132 aircraft, but in the end it was reduced to only 21 aircraft, because it was too expensive, and the cost alone was as high as 2.4 billion US dollars. In practice, it not only has to live in a special constant temperature hangar, but also has to be maintained on the ground for 47 hours on average for every 1 hour of flight. Therefore, for the sake of these "uncle" aircraft, the US military has to pay more than $1 billion a year for maintenance, but these planes cannot fly several times a year.
Moreover, in the face of the new generation of Chinese and Russian air defense systems, its advanced stealth technology is gradually losing its advantage. In addition, its internal bomb bay volume is limited, and it cannot carry hypersonic missiles, so its deterrent capability is also greatly reduced.
In recent years, the B-2 has also had a number of accidents, and in 2022, the entire fleet was grounded for 5 months due to accidents. It is not difficult to understand that the US military wants to retire such an unusable aircraft.
B-2 bomber with malfunctioning landing gear
In addition to these three bombers, the B-21 is the latest strategic bomber of the US military. Although it is blown out of the sky, it is actually a "youth version" of the B-2, trying to achieve mass service by reducing costs, and the money to cut the B-1B and B-2 will basically be used for the construction and maintenance of the B-21.
However, the price of the B-21 is still not cheap, with a unit price of about $500 million. The U.S. military plans to have 133 bombers in 2033, but by conventional practice, the actual number may not exceed 100.
And there are big problems with the design of the B-21, judging by its range, in order to deter China and Russia, it must be deployed to air bases within the range of China and Russia. And its magazine is a direct copy of the B-2, that is, it cannot launch hypersonic missiles.
Despite being the latest bomber, its design was clearly 10 years old, so even the U.S. military was questioning its practicality.
In general, the decline of the American bomber force, like its overall national strength, is visible to the naked eye. Its rescue measures are also more wishful thinking.