The B-21, nicknamed "Raider", was developed and manufactured by the famous United States arms dealer Nort ·, and has been defined as a "sixth generation" military aircraft that achieves a generational leap in aircraft technology and development, and is a long-range bomber capable of performing "the most complex missions".
It is reported that the use of stealth capabilities and open systems architecture, as well as the inclusion of "all-domain joint command and control" (JADC2) technology to enable high-speed data sharing across platforms, will make the B-21 "the first in a sixth-generation system."
Previously, United States Aviation Weekly wrote an article speculating that the B-21 bomber, with a maximum take-off weight of about 80 tons, has a combat radius of 4,600 kilometers under the premise of 9 tons of buried bombs. The "Raider" is indeed inferior to its predecessors in terms of size, combat radius and bomb load, and other indicators.
However, the B-21 with a flying wing layout adopts an advanced fuselage coating, which is optimized on the basis of the B-2A to further improve stealth performance. It is difficult to be detected and locked by radar in flight. The developers confidently claimed, "You can hear it, but you can't see it." ”
This gives the B-21 incredible stealth capabilities and powerful penetration capabilities, capable of penetrating advanced integrated air defense systems and surviving in its defense zone, suitable for attacking high-value targets such as large and medium-sized surface ships and land-based missile positions, and supporting the United States Air Force's strategic deterrence and global attack capabilities.
According to the United States Air Force's plans, 100 B-21s will be purchased and equipped in the future, but discussions have been held about a larger total fleet size. In the future, the "Raider" will replace the current B-1B "Gun Bannerman" and B-2A "Phantom" bombers, making them the cornerstone of the United States Air Force bombers that began to be equipped in the 30s of the 21st century.
On September 18, on the 77th anniversary of the United States Aerospace Forces Association, the United States Air Force released the latest video footage and photos of the first preproduction B-21 stealth bomber flight test at Edwards Air Force Base in California through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) website.
On November 10, 2023, ·the first B-21 bomber pre-produced by Novog took off from Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, for its first flight test at Palmdale Air Force Base in the state's desert terrain, one of the most important flight test bases for the United States Air Force.
The United States Air Force has just identified Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, Days Air Force Base in Texas and Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota as future deployment of the B-21 Raider.
The first B-21 squadron will go to Ellsworth, and the United States Air Force hopes that the new Hidden Bombardment will be able to carry out a real mission by 2030.
Now, five more pre-production models of Nor·gag are at various stages of construction and work is underway on the initial production batch of the B-21. The ground tests, taxiing, and flight operations of the first Raider were of great reference value to the five pre-production B-21s.
In short, the B-21 is designed to provide surviving, long-range, penetrating strike capabilities, and will become the backbone of the United States Air Force's future long-range bombers, and the "Raider" equipment will put any target around the world in danger, and the United States Air Force has high hopes for it.