The first new strategic bomber in more than three decades, the U.S. Air Force’s B-21 Raider, was recently unveiled in a hangar at aircraft manufacturer Northrop Grumman (Palmdale, Calif.) by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The stealth bomber is designed with long-range strike capabilities including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); electronic attack; and communications.
The bomber is nuclear capable and supports both manned and unmanned operations. The B-21 (see image above) has a silhouette like that of the B-2 Spirit bomber, another stealth aircraft.
Regarding the B-21, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said, “It's a testament to America's enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation and it's proof of the department's long-term commitment to building advanced capabilities that will fortify America's ability to deter aggression, today and into the future.” He added, “The B-21 looks imposing, but what's under the frame and the space-age coatings is even more impressive.”
Looking forward, Austin shared the DoD’s technological roadmap: “The Department is going to continue to invest in tech. We're going to bring new companies into our supplier base, and we're going to keep honing our acquisitions process to get the right capabilities before we need them.”