B-21 Raider: The Bomber the U.S. Air Force Needs Now

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Key Points and Summary: The B-21 Raider stealth bomber is pivotal to maintaining U.S. air superiority and deterring nuclear adversaries like China and Russia.

-With unmatched range, high payload capacity, and advanced survivability, the B-21 is designed to penetrate contested airspace while delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads.

-Featuring open-systems architecture for ongoing upgrades, the B-21 is also prepared for future unmanned operations.

-At 70% less cost than its B-2 predecessor, the B-21 addresses the need for a 300-plus bomber force and ensures a decisive strike advantage, cementing its role in America’s defense strategy.

Why the B-21 Raider Is the Future of U.S. Air Superiority

Only a year after the B-21 “Raider’s” test flight in November 2023, the public got its first glimpse of China’s newest tactical stealth bomber.

This amplified concerns U.S. defense forces have been voicing for years: the United States has two nuclear peers and we must re-outfit a nuclear triad that currently has a capacity to deter only Russia.

The best way to build and maintain a decisive strike advantage, especially one that can deter conflicts where China and Russia have a home-field advantage, is to build a fleet with highly functional stealth bombers.

The B-21 meets this criteria by enhancing range, payload capacity, and survivability of U.S. combat forces at a far more cost-effective rate than its predecessors.

Why the B-21 Raider Matters

“If you take a look at the real world operating requirements the Air Force has, [planners] fully understand that the Air Force’s combat capacity must grow,” commented Col. Mark Gunzinger of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Col. Gunzinger outlined what is needed to maintain a decisive strike advantage:

-Increasing, “range, payload capacity, and survivability of our combat air forces.”

-Restoring “long-range strike capacity for peer conflict” in economical ways.

-Deterring two “nuclear peer adversaries.”

-Building a “300-plus bomber force with at least 225 penetrating B-21s.”

-Producing at least 20 new B-21s per year.

The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony December 2, 2022 in..Palmdale, Calif. Designed to operate in tomorrow’s high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America’s enduring airpower capability. (U.S. Air Force photo)

He notes that bombers are critical in any effective denial campaign where aggressors have home-field advantage—for instance, if China were to invade Taiwan.

This is because fighter jets do not have a sufficient payload capacity for targets with hundreds of thousands of aimpoints, aircraft carriers “standing off 1,500 nm cannot generate enough sorties,” and attack submarines have magazines that cannot be refilled at sea.

He writes, “Only bombers have the long ranges, short response times, and large payloads to blunt then deny invading forces in two theaters.”

Penetrating at Long-Range

The B-21 will dramatically increase the range of U.S. combat forces.

Current defense capacity favors shortrange aircraft, and the U.S. has only 19 operational B-2s—our only other stealth bomber.

While B-52s comprise a sizable portion of the U.S. bomber fleet and will continue to play a vital role in air combat, they have no real capacity to penetrate contested airspace, limiting their functionality.

Conversely, B-21s will contribute to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance needs and perform long-range strike duties.

B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber. Image Credit: Industry Handout.

High-Capacity Payloads and Open-Systems Architecture

Furthermore, B-21s will be dually capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads and evolving with emerging technology.

After two years of operating at initial operational capacity (IOC), B-21s will be qualified for nuclear munitions.

Additionally, B-21s use open systems architecture (also used by the F-22, U-2, and B-2), enabling them to incorporate more advanced technologies as they become available.

Finally, Raider will have the capacity to fly unmanned after several years of IOC.

Stealth and Survivability

As a stealth bomber, the Raider will incorporate the sort of stealth technologies that give it an edge over conventional bombers and allow undetected penetration of enemy territory.

These features include the aircraft shape, reduction of heat, electromagnetic, radar, and communications signatures, materials that absorb radar, and software that picks safer flight paths.

With “range unmatched by any other combat aircraft,” B-21s will be able to “penetrate highly contested environments,” with technology which “even the most sophisticated air-defense systems will struggle to detect.”

An artist illustration depicts a U.S. Air Force extended-range B-21 Raider escorted on a mission by armed unmanned next generation air dominance platforms. This fictional bomber features longer, wider wings, and a deeper fuselage that accommodates larger fuel tanks and dual weapons bays that enables the bomber to carry a much larger and varied payload. Mike Tsukamoto/staff; Greg Davis/USAF

B-21s over B-2

Why not use B-2s to fill this increased need for stealth bombers? While B-2s were cutting edge when first rolled out in the 1990s they become more “obsolete with each passing day.”

B-2’s innovative stealth technology is already being used by other aircraft, and there are new, operational air defense systems that the B-2 may no longer be equipped to handle.

Additionally, there is no way to add more B-2 bombers as the production lines closed many years ago.

Conclusion: America Needs the B-21 Raider

In sum, the U.S. desperately needs a long-range stealth bomber with a high payload capacity to deter two nuclear peers effectively. The B-21 accomplishes this goal, costing almost 70% less than its predecessor.