For as tense as the world is right now, and the amount of confidence our enemies have gained in the past couple of years, it’s nice to know the trillions of dollars we’re spending on defense in this country is going to some sophisticated weaponry.
The Pentagon just unveiled their newest revolution of the nuclear stealth bomber, and it is one impressive piece of flying lethal technology.
After years of secret development, the B-21 Raider was rolled out, the first new American bomber aircraft in over three decades.
Everything about the project, every detail, was classified.
The first sneak peek occurred in Palmdale, California, at Air Force Plant 42. The ceremony was incredible, with a flyover of the three bombers still in our arsenal and the big reveal. The doors to a hanger opened slowly, and the B-21 was towed out.
Here’s a quote from Deborah Lee James back in 2015 when the Raider contract was announced.
”We needed a new bomber for the 21st Century that would allow us to take on much more complicated threats, like the threats that we fear we would one day face from China and Russia.”
The Pentagon is getting serious about modernizing all three legs of its nuclear triad. That means ballistic missiles, warheads launched from submarines, and this new aircraft.
With the threats shifting worldwide, our military strategy has shifted as well; a way from counterterrorism campaigns and now a direct counter-strategic move to match the aggressiveness of China.
By 2035, China could have 1,500 nuclear weapons, and they are also prioritizing cyber warfare and hypersonic.
A total of six Raiders are in production, and the ultimate goal is to build 100 of them, all with the ability to launch nuclear or conventional bombs.
Here’s what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said about the new stealth bomber.
“Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft. Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky.”
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