B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber: Built for War with Russia or China

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Key Points and Summary: The B-21 Raider represents the future of U.S. stealth bombers, designed for global strike capabilities with advanced stealth, range, and payload options.

-Born from the B-2’s curtailed program, the Raider carries up to 30,000 pounds of nuclear or conventional weapons, including the B61-12 bomb and AGM-181 LRSO missile, ensuring deterrence against adversaries like China and Russia.

-With stealth superior to current platforms, the B-21 can operate undetected in contested A2/AD environments, such as the Taiwan Strait. As tensions rise with China, the B-21’s ability to strike from multiple axes ensures strategic flexibility, deterring aggression and supporting allied security.

B-21 Raider: America’s Stealth Bomber for the 21st Century

The US military has been the global trailblazer in stealth technology and development. It continues to maintain its stealth advantage to this day.  

A significant breakthrough in stealth development occurred in the 1970s when the US government initiated a secret program to develop aircraft that could evade Soviet air defense networks.  

The program was led by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, which developed a prototype aircraft called “Have Blue” (which first flew in 1977). This aircraft proved stealth technology was feasible.  

The USAFs first operational stealth combat aircraft was the F-117 Nighthawk, which achieved initial operating capability in 1983. The aircraft saw its first combat mission in 1989, during Operation Just Cause in Panama.  

The USAFs second stealth combat aircraft, the B-2 Spirit, achieved initial operating capability in 1997. Just six short years later, it completed its first combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Over the course 49 combat missions, the B-2 dropped approximately 1.5 million pounds of munitions.  

America’s Stealth Bomber for the 21st Century 

The B-21 program owes its existence to the premature end of the B-2 program. The Air Force intended to manufacture 132 B-2s. 

However, Congress had other plans. It pulled the funding for the program once 21 rolled off the assembly line in 1997. This was due primarily to the reduced threat of a Russian land invasion into Western Europe and the rising cost of the aircraft. 

Moving forward to 2015, Northrop beat a Boeing-Lockheed team for the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) project. The LRS-B project had a baseline requirement of less than $550 million per unit to manufacture. However, the price for production today is approximately $700 million per unit.  

The LRS-B was to be named the B-3; however, then-Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James renamed it the B-21. This was done to highlight that this aircraft is America’s 21st-century bomber.  

Capabilities of the Raider 

While B-21 Raider specifications and specific capabilities are still relegated to strict secrecy, we can look at such aspects as range, payload, and stealth to gain a broad idea of how the B-21 will benefit the US strategically. 

Going the Distance, the B-21s range 

Much like other heavy bombers, the B-21 can cover great distances without refueling, roughly four to five times greater than a fighter. When we consider aerial refueling, the Raider can strike targets anywhere globally.  

Concerning the USAF global basing network, the B-21 can launch strikes along multiple penetration axes, thus creating a security dilemma for an adversary during a confrontation.   

An example is the fact that US and allied bases along China’s eastern periphery are firmly covered and protected by the arsenal of China’s rocket force. To complicate their defense planning, B-21s based in Europe will allow the US Air Force to threaten military targets from the west, where China’s defenses are much less concentrated.  

Additionally, B-21s based in Western Europe can threaten Russian targets utilizing northern or southern axes.  

Jocked-up, a Look at What the B-21 Can Carry 

When discussing the B-21, we need to examine what it can carry.  

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the B-21 will have a payload of 30,000 pounds, or roughly half that of the B-2 Spirit. While the B-21 cannot carry as much ordnance as the B-2, with the proposed fleet of at least 100, if the USAF dedicated even a dozen of the aircraft to a combat operation, its effects would be devastating.  

Concerning ordnance, the only two known weapons that the B-21 will carry are the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb and the AGM-181 Long-Rang Standoff (LRSO) missile. While a wider variety of conventional munitions will be available  

B61-12 Nuclear Gravity Bomb 

The B61 is a variable yield bomb, offering a 0.3 to 340 kiloton yield, depending on the variant and settings. The B61 can be deployed on various aircraft, including the F-15E, F-16, F-35, B-2 and the Tornado. 

The B61-12 has a streamlined casing capable of withstanding supersonic flight speeds of up to Mach 2. Full-rate production of the B61 bomb began in 1968, and 3,155 were produced. 

Basic Specifications for the B61-12 

Length: 12 ft. 

Diameter: Approximately 13 in. 

Weight: Approximately 825 lbs.  

The newest variant is the B61-12 Life Extension Program. At the heart of this program is the overhaul and replacement of the aging non-nuclear components. Such components include the fuses and batteries in the following B61 variants: B61-3, B61-4, B61-7, and B61-10. 

In sum, 400 bombs are expected to be retrofitted at the estimated cost of $7.6 billion, with work to be completed by 2025. This program will extend the service life of the B61 variants by 20 years.  

AGM-181 Long-Rang Standoff (LRSO) Missile 

The LRSO is the Air Force’s newest nuclear cruise missile; the USAF plans to acquire 1,000 missiles, with an additional 67 slated for testing purposes.  

The range of the LRSO is 1,500 miles, and it will be capable of penetrating and surviving the advanced air defense systems or networks of adversarial states from standoff ranges. The LRSO supports the USAFs global attack capability and its strategic deterrence mission. 

The target date for the Initial Operational Capability of the LRSO is May 2030.  

Ship Hunting in the Taiwan Strait 

There has also been discussion regarding the B-21 in maritime strike operations. Which, as anyone may guess, has its primary focus squarely on China and their desire to assimilate Taiwan by force or diplomacy.  

With around 20 B-21s in service by 2027, some of these aircraft could be dedicated to bludgeoning China’s amphibious assault force.  

When thinking about the B-21s role in countering China’s potential invasion of Taiwan, its stealth capabilities will be its primary asset. Bearing that the F-35 has a radar cross section (RCS) of a golf ball, the F-22 has an RCS the size of a marble.  

Given the B-21s advanced stealth, it may be nearly invisible on radar, even at close range. It will be very effective while operating inside China’s A2/AD bubble.  

To this point, a 2023 CSIS report focused on a Taiwan invasion states: 

“Bombers capable of launching standoff, anti-ship ordnance offer the fastest way to defeat the invasion with the least amount of U.S. losses. Procuring such missiles and upgrading existing missiles with this anti-ship capability needs to be the top procurement priority.” 

Final thoughts on the B-21 Raider

The B-21 will provide the USAF with reliable and lethal stealth strike options for decades. Given its nuclear and conventional capabilities, the B-21 will have a deterrent effect upon hostile states and assure America’s global partners.  

Clearly, priority should be given to producing as many of these aircraft as possible. This is particularly true as China has become much more confident and bellicose in its behavior towards its regional neighbors. The B-21 Raider will undoubtedly be adequate for cooling China’s expansionist ambitions. 

Author Bio: Christian P. Martin

Christian P. Martin is a Michigan-based writer; he earned a Master’s degree in Defense & Strategic Studies (Summa cum laude) from the University of Texas, El Paso. Currently, he is a research assistant at the Asia Pacific Security Innovation Forum. Concerning writing, he has published several dozen articles in places like Simple Flying, SOFREP, SOF News, and The Collector.