The Pentagon received the latest strategic nuclear bomber against China

The Pentagon unveiled the first strategic bomber in more than 30 years to counter China. The combat-capable B-21 Raider nuclear bomber should be a key component in the US effort to build Beijing’s military power.

On Friday, the US military unveiled its first new strategic bomber in more than 30 years, a nuclear-armed aircraft that will be the centerpiece of US efforts to counter China’s military buildup when it enters service around 2027.

Nearly every aspect of the B-21 Raider is classified, according to The Guardian, but during a carefully controlled presentation at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., the new strategic aircraft was briefly shown to the public.

“This is not just another plane,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “Fifty years of advances in stealth technology have gone into making this aircraft. Even the most advanced air defense systems will not be able to detect the B-21 in the sky.”

The presentation ceremony began with a flyby of three bombers still in service: a 70-year-old B-52 Stratofortress, a 49-year-old B-1 Lancer and a 33-year-old B-2 Spirit strategic aircraft.

Northrop Grumman’s B-21 aircraft is very similar to the B-2, The Guardian notes, the contractor’s CEO Cathy Warden admitted. “The internal way it works is extremely advanced compared to the B-2 because the technology has evolved so much in terms of computational capabilities that we can now build it into the B-21 software,” Warden says.

Information released to the public included the aircraft’s estimated cost ($700 million), engine manufacturer (Pratt & Whitney), and payload (conventional and nuclear). Maximum speed, ceiling, flight range are classified.

The B-21 is the first part of a $1 trillion US nuclear deterrent overhaul — an upgrade that will include new nuclear submarines and land-based missiles — and represents a rapid transition from aircraft and cruise missiles needed for counterterrorism campaigns. in Afghanistan and elsewhere, to weapons that can meet the challenges posed by China’s military modernization.

In its annual report on China released this week, the Pentagon said China will have 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035.

Six Raider aircraft are in production and they have been shown to the public because outdoor ground testing is about to begin. The first flight is scheduled for next year.

But some have warned that the cost estimate depends on how much the Pentagon buys and how smoothly the tests run.

“It’s easy to tell the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually takes off,” Dan Grazer, senior defense policy fellow at the Government Oversight Project, told Reuters. “It’s only when one of these programs enters the actual testing phase that the real problems are discovered.”

The Raider’s larger predecessor, the B-2, was expected to have a fleet of 132 aircraft when it was introduced in 1988. But the collapse of the Soviet Union, combined with cost overruns, cut the expected order by a factor of five. Thus, each aircraft cost $2.2 billion (at 2022 price levels). The B-2 was also limited because its windows did not open and it had to be housed in large air-conditioned hangars to prevent the cockpit electrics from burning out.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon has begun allowing Northrop Grumman employees to admit to their families and friends that they worked on the B-21 aircraft. Northrop Grumman said the project involved 400 suppliers and the aircraft was designed using existing parts and technology.

“The B-21 is designed for daily flights,” Tom Jones, head of the company’s aerospace division, told the publication.