Northrop Grumman unveils next-generation B-21 Raider nuclear bomber, which is not afraid of the most advanced air defense systems

As planned, a presentation of a new strategic bomber took place in San Francisco. He

called the B-21 Raider. The developer is Northrop Grumman, as was the case with the previous generation B-2 Spirit bomber.

What is known

The B-21 Raider is the most advanced aircraft in the world.Work on it began in 2015. It was then that Northrop began to assemble a team that already has more than 8,000 specialists and partners. The company is now calling the Raider the first aircraft of the sixth generation. One of its features will be the ability to work in unmanned mode.

Naturally, Northrop Grumman did not disclosetechnical characteristics of the bomber. But the company notes that in the future it will become the main air force of the country and will play a key role in providing potential US aviation. The aircraft will be able to carry both conventional ammunition and nuclear weapons.

B-21 Raider will replace twostrategic bombers. Gradually, the US will begin to decommission the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit. Ultimately, only the Raider and B-52 Stratofortress will remain in service with the US Air Force in the amount of 100 and 50 units, respectively.

Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force have published severalphotographs of the aircraft, and they are all taken from the front. It has a "flying wing" aerodynamic configuration like the B-2 Spirit. At the same time, the novelty is one and a half times more compact than its predecessor. Also worth noting is the gray color of the aircraft, not black.


</ img>

Raider has updated engines, as well asmodern technologies and materials that are designed to hide the bomber from enemy air defense systems. Unlike other aircraft, the B-21 will not receive Block upgrades. Instead, Northrop Grumman will improve the bomber through "hardware flexibility" and software updates. The US Air Force believes that this approach will allow the aircraft to constantly withstand threats for decades.

The US Department of Defense states that the B-21Raider will be able to strike anywhere in the world, overcoming the most advanced air defense systems. Now the US has problems with this. According to the Pentagon, only 10% of the bomber fleet can pass advanced air defense systems.


</ img>

Given the presented instance of NorthropGrumman has six aircraft that are in various stages of assembly. The US Air Force will begin receiving the B-21 Raider in the middle of this decade and intend to purchase a total of 100 aircraft.

The service will place bombers on military basesEllsworth in South Dakota, Dyess in Texas, and Whiteman in Missouri. The B-21 Raider will be among the top three US Air Force naiadu procurement projects with the new KC-46 Pegasus multipurpose tanker and the F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter.

</ p>