{"id":1750393,"date":"2022-11-24T06:30:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T11:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1750393"},"modified":"2022-11-24T09:34:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T14:34:33","slug":"b-21-raider-the-last-u-s-stealth-bomber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/b-21-raider-the-last-u-s-stealth-bomber\/","title":{"rendered":"B-21 Raider: The Last U.S. Stealth Bomber?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fb-21-raider-the-last-u-s-stealth-bomber%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1750393&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span><strong>B-21: The Last Stealth Bomber?<\/strong> We in the defense industry take stealth technology on airplanes for granted. U.S. arms builders have been working on radar-evading coatings and designs since the 1980s, and American adversaries such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/russia-received-new-batch-of-su-30sm2-fighter-jets\/\">Russia<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/digital-combat-simulator-how-an-f-22-vs-j-20-dogfight-can-happen\/\">China<\/a> have developed their own <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/russias-su-57-stealth-fighter-is-in-china\/\"><span>next-generation stealth airplanes<\/span><\/a><span> to keep up with the trend. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span>Stealth attributes for aircraft are expensive. Pulling them off correctly requires the best efforts of the most adept designers, scientists, and engineers. Some airplanes are stealthier than others \u2013 much depends on the shape of the airplane and the efficacy of stealth coatings.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<\/p>\n<h2><b>The Last Stealth Bomber?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>The new <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/b-21-the-bomber-being-built-for-a-war-with-china-or-russia\/\"><span>B-21 Raider<\/span><\/a><span> will be showcased to the public for the first time on Dec. 2. The bomber is advertised as extremely stealthy \u2013 maybe even a better radar evader than the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/08\/why-is-the-air-force-sending-so-many-f-22-and-f-35-fighters-to-alaska\/\"><span>F-35 and F-22<\/span><\/a><span>. The idea is to have a bomber sneak past air defense networks and penetrate as far as necessary to deliver nuclear and conventional bombs and missiles. The B-21 must have the ability to do all that and still fly safely back to base in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But could this be the last stealth bomber the United States ever builds? The Air Force hasn\u2019t produced a new bomber in 34 years when the B-2 Spirit was introduced in 1988. The B-21 is meant to replace the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/About-Us\/Fact-Sheets\/Display\/Article\/104500\/b-1b-lancer\/\"><span>B-1<\/span><\/a><span> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.northropgrumman.com\/what-we-do\/air\/b-2-stealth-bomber\/\"><span>B-2<\/span><\/a><span>, while the latest <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/our-first-look-at-what-fully-upgraded-b-52-bombers-will-look-like\"><span>B-52 upgrades<\/span><\/a><span> are designed to keep the Stratofortress in service for decades.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span>The B-21 is reportedly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aero-mag.com\/b-21-raider-update-28042021\/\"><span>on time and under budget<\/span><\/a><span>, and if it stays that way, the Air Force could order between 100 and 200 of the next-generation strategic bombers. The United States currently operates <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/239424\/total-aircraft-force-of-the-us-air-force-by-type\/#:~:text=In%20the%20fiscal%20year%20of,94%20bombers%20at%20their%20disposal.\"><span>less than 125 bombers<\/span><\/a><span>, and they are becoming <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/us-air-forces-budget-retire-b-1-b-2-keep-the-b-52-2018-2\"><span>more expensive to maintain<\/span><\/a><span> and keep in the air. The B-21 is thus coming in at the right time. It may make its first flight in 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While there are few if any estimates of how long the new B-21 could be in service, let\u2019s say the bomber stays in use until the 2050s. After all, the B-52 is not a stealth aircraft, and it has flown in all of America\u2019s major wars since Vietnam. The B-21, then, could indeed be the last stealth bomber built. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span>One reason for this is the U.S. need to modernize its nuclear triad with upgraded intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There may simply not be enough money to develop another stealth bomber. The Air Force and the Navy are working on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2022\/09\/27\/the-air-force-wants-to-start-delivering-ngad-by-2030-can-it-be-done\/\"><span>Next-Generation Air Dominance<\/span><\/a><span> fighter, which could cost into the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2022\/04\/28\/future-ngad-fighter-jets-could-cost-hundreds-of-millions-apiece\/\"><span>hundreds of millions of dollars for each unit<\/span><\/a><span>. Resources for airplanes could become tight in the coming years.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<h3><b>China and Russia Want to Keep Up<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span>The other question is how well Russia and China develop nuclear-capable stealth bombers of their own. This then becomes a strategic decision concerning the ability of the United States to maintain nuclear deterrence. Russia is bound by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/new-start\/\"><span>New START<\/span><\/a><span> nuclear arms treaty, but China is not. The Chinese could build as many new bombers as possible while advancing its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thedebrief.org\/chinese-scientists-say-they-have-developed-a-new-covert-anti-stealth-radar\/\"><span>new radar systems, which China claims are anti-stealth<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span>The B-21 is not only needed as soon as possible, but it may have to serve until 2050 or later. U.S. defense contractors are likely to make incremental improvements on stealth coatings to enhance the radar-evasion characteristics of the B-21 without having to design a new airplane.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_69000\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-69000\" class=\"size-large wp-image-69000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357-1200x675-1.jpg\" alt=\"B-21 Raider\" width=\"880\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357-1200x675-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357-768x432-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357-1024x576-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357-600x337-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-21-Raider-1-e1663089154357.jpg 1344w\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-69000\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist image of B-2 Spirit. The B-21 Raider will look similar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Another way to improve stealthiness of the B-21 is to keep a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/42370\/navys-mq-25-tanker-drone-refuels-f-35c-stealth-fighter\"><span>stealth tanker drone<\/span><\/a><span> in the works. This would keep the Chinese or Russian from detecting a non-stealthy tanker during aerial refueling \u2013 an operation that is required for the B-21 to have maximum efficacy in the Indo-Pacific.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<h3>B-21 Must Be a Success<\/h3>\n<p><span>There is much riding on the success of the B-21 program. The Air Force needs new bombers. China and Russia are working on their own. The airframe must be long-lasting and durable enough to serve for decades, as this could be the last stealth bomber the United States ever builds. If the B-21 flies next year and more come off the production lines, the Air Force should enjoy strategic deterrence with an upgraded leg of its nuclear triad put into force, not to mention conventional bombing and missile capability. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><span>It appears the U.S. military will depend on the B-21 to live a long and distinguished life.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Expert Biography:<\/i><\/b><i><span> Serving as 1945\u2019s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/brenteastwood.com\/\"><i><span>Brent M. Eastwood<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>\u00a0is the author of <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Humans-Machines-Data-Future-Warfare\/dp\/B091F5SK19\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&#038;keywords=brent+m.+eastwood&#038;qid=1632871186&#038;s=books&#038;sr=1-1\"><i><span>Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BMEastwood\"><i><span>@BMEastwood<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy\/ International Relations.<\/span><\/i>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Want more 19FortyFive military, defense, and national security, as well as politics and economics analysis from the best experts on Earth? Follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMNX7nwsw4oW4Aw?ceid=US:en&#038;oc=3\">Google News<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/@19FortyFive\">Flipboard<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCMOn5KL4BMFKilOwiB1S1gw\/featured\">YouTube<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/19FortyFive\/\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/19_forty_five\">Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/19fortyfive\">Linkedin<\/a>. Also, sign up for our newsletter\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/08\/19fortyfives-newsletter-sign-up-form\/\">here<\/a>. You can also find our code of publishing ethics and standards\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/editorial-guidelines\/\">here<\/a>. Want to contact us? Email:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#551730213d15646c133a27212c133c23307b363a38\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"733116071b33424a351c01070a351a05165d101c1e\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B-21: The Last Stealth Bomber? We in the defense industry take stealth technology on airplanes for granted. U.S. arms builders have been working on radar-evading coatings and designs since the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1750396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1750393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1750393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1750393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1750393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1750396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1750393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1750393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1750393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}