The American Northrop Grumman unveiled on the morning of December 3 the B-21 Raider, the long-awaited US strategic bomber, which will be able to penetrate the world’s toughest defenses.
The B-21 Raider proves that American stealth technology has taken a very big step forward. The B-21 Raider, which was unveiled on December 3 in Palmdale, California, has a range of 9,600 kilometers and can carry a payload of almost 10 tons. The Raider is America’s only hope of fighting China while staying out of range of its missiles.
It goes without saying that the main feature of the new US strategic bomber is its stealth technology, i.e. its low observability by enemy radar. Those responsible for the revelation also focused there, emphasizing that the US is a world leader in this technology.
Narrow air intakes are one of the indicators of the application of this technology in the aircraft. When a plane has large intakes, then the chances of being detected by an enemy radar increase, since the vehicle has more surface area (for the radar waves to hit).
The B-21 Raider is designed as a subsonic aircraft and is not intended to perform the maneuvers of a fighter. Its deployment will be one of the tools with which the US will address the wide range of logistical, technological and doctrinal issues it faces vis-à-vis China in the Western Pacific region.
The bomber’s color was white, and the design lacked the sharp-cornered pattern of the earlier B-2 Spirit. As for the color, perhaps the manufacturer has not yet revealed the final choice.
However, we can safely assume that the American Northrop has changed the exact paint-cover that it used on the B-2, because it often “washed” and kept the bombers on the ground for quite some time.
Why Does the US Need the B-21 Against China?
In the event of a full-scale war, China has thousands of missiles ready to destroy US bases, naval assets, etc. So US strategic bombers, including the B-52, B1 Lancer, and the new B-21 Raider are the Americans’ most important tool.
There have been reports of 150 to 200 planes being produced, but if this happens it will take a long time to complete. It will take at least two years for the production model to be perfected through major changes and modifications.
Let’s not forget that it is also very expensive, with a price per unit of around 550 million dollars. If the US wants over 100 aircraft over 30 years, it will have to give a total of 203 billion, including development and operating costs.
