B-21, the new generation of American stealth bombers, will be unveiled on December 2. It will be ready for deployment by early next year. It will gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 — the military’s current stealth bombers.
The B-21 has been designed by military contractor Northrop Grumman. Vice-president of Northrop Doug Young said, “This is the most advanced military aircraft ever built.” At present, six B-21 stealth bombers are being readied in Palmdale, California, at a cost of about $2billion per aircraft, reported British media website Metro.
According to Northrop Grumman the new aircraft will deliver “long range, high survivability and mission payload flexibility”.
The B-21 is also being touted as a ‘digital bomber’, which will be able to use agile technology and cloud computing for faster and more flexible communication.
The older B-2 model was also designed by Northrop during the Cold War. It made its first official flight in 1989 and has been in service for over 30 years. The unveiling of the B-21 Raider will be a historic moment for our Air Force and the nation, said General CQ Brown Jr, Air Force Chief of Staff.
“If we look at the threats posed by our pace challenge; we must continue to modernize quickly,” he said.
The bomber was also named after an important milestone in US military history. Its nickname "Raider" is derived from the 1942 Doolittle Raid, in which Lt Col James Doolittle led a volunteer bomber force in the first offensive against Tokyo and the Japanese islands during World War II.
The brave spirit of the Doolittle Raiders is the inspiration behind the B-21 Raider's name, Northrop explained. All of Doolittles' aircraft were destroyed during the bombing, but he was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to Brigadier General when he returned to the United States.