The United States Air Force released images this week of its new state-of-the-art stealth bomber that is set to enter service in the near future.
The U.S. Military unveiled the new strategic long-rage stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider, at a special ceremony in Palmdale, California.
The B-21 will replace the Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the B-1 Lancer bomber, both of which have been around for three decades.
The B-21 looks very similar to the B-2, but is smaller and significantly more sophisticated as it has more advanced stealth technology and has more capabilities in the realm of electronic and cyber warfare. Only 21 B-2 bombers were ever built, a number that will be dwarfed by the more than 100 B-21s that the U.S. Military is requesting.
“The B21 Raider continues to conduct flight tests at Edwards with the B-21 Combined Test Force, including ground testing, taxiing, and flying operations,” Edwards Air Force Base said in a post on X that included new photos of the bomber. “The Raider continues to make progress toward becoming the backbone of the USAF bomber fleet.”
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The #B21 Raider continues to conduct flight tests at Edwards with the B-21 Combined Test Force, including ground testing, taxiing, and flying operations. The Raider continues to make progress toward becoming the backbone of the #USAF bomber fleet. #AFMC @usairforce pic.twitter.com/u03HsnTKwd
— Edwards Air Force Base (@EdwardsAFB) May 22, 2024
“The B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more than three decades,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said last year. “It is 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.”
The B-21 Raider was named in honor of the Doolittle Raid of World War II, which happened on April 18, 1942. The raid was led by Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle, who volunteered to lead America’s first military response to Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Sixteen B-25 medium bombers took off from the aircraft carrier Hornet in a one-way bombing raid that targeted Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, and Nagoya, the U.S. Air Force says. “As did the others who participated in the mission, Doolittle had to bail out, but fortunately landed in a rice paddy in China near Chu Chow. Some of the other flyers lost their lives on the mission.”
