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| The B-21 Raider jet bomber, a stealth bomber that will continue the B-1B Lancer /nicholaslim.artstation.com |
International Military - A stealth bomber B-21 Raider flight that was supposed to take place in 2022 has now been cancelled. More precisely, the B-21 Raider flight will be delayed some time later. However, no specific exact reason has been given for this.
According to Military Watch Magazine, an Air Force spokesperson who spoke to Air Force Magazine remains reassured that production of the new aircraft "remains within its acquisition program for defined cost, schedule and performance." The B-21, originally expected to fly in late 2021 , then the date dropped to 2022, and now 2023. Its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit had to limit production to 20 serial airframes.
This is due to large budget cuts and wide range of performance issues. In this regard, the B-21 then has a tremendous burden as one of the highly anticipated advanced drones.
The B-21 is the first new Western bomber to be developed since the 1970s. This aircraft is expected to replace all B-1 and B-2 bombers in service. With the B-1 starting to retire in the face of very low available prices, sometimes in the single digits, the need for a next-generation bomber in the form of the B-21 remains critical.
Despite the delays, the B-21 program has been doing quite well, with the bomber currently on budget. According to Popular Mechanics, the aircraft is also pretty much on track and plans stay within the budget a modern marvel for an expensive defense program.
The B-21 Raider is named after Doolittle's Raiders, the group of bomber pilots that took off from the carrier USS Hornet in 1942 and bombed Japan in a sortie. In addition to honoring famous aviators, the name also refers to one of the bombers' main operating theaters, the Pacific Ocean.
The B-21 would be a key asset in any conventional war with China, flying long ranges and firing long-range cruise missiles against enemy targets. The B-21's range would allow it to strike China on its own if necessary. In addition to conventional missions, the B-21 will also fly with nuclear weapons, acting as one leg of the US nuclear triad.
The B-21 will carry the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb and the AGM-86B nuclear cruise missile. This drone, which is emphasized to have stealth features, is indeed quite interesting. Not surprisingly, the US may indeed use it as a 'mainstay' in the future.