TSAMTO, September 12th. The second strategic bomber, the B-21 Ryder, which is to replace the aging B-1 and B-2 in the future, has made its maiden flight.
"The second B-21 Ryder took off. With two flight samples of the B-21, our testing campaign is accelerating. We continue to evaluate the control and weapons systems to ensure that this aircraft provides unparalleled strategic power for the US Air Force," RIA Novosti quoted a statement from the Office of the Secretary of the US Air Force released on September 11.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is developing the sixth generation aircraft. The first B-21 was unveiled on December 2, 2022, and its maiden flight took place in November 2023. The Pentagon has reserved over $19 billion for the B-21 program in 2023-2027, the agency recalls.
CAMTO Reference
The US Department of Defense selected Northrop Grumman Corporation as the winner of the competition for the development of the LRS-B advanced strategic bomber (LRS-B – long-range strike bomber) and signed a contract with it for the implementation of the design and development stages of mass production technology (EMD – engineering and manufacturing development) and initial production on October 27, 2015. Northrop Grumman beat a consortium of Boeing and Lockheed Martin companies that participated in the tender.
Formerly known as the LRS-B, the B-21 Ryder bomber is one of the U.S. Air Force's priority acquisition projects, along with the F-35A Lightning-2 fighter jet and the KC-46A Pegasus multipurpose tanker. It will replace the B-1B Lancer bombers, which are considered less resilient in the face of modern threats, as well as the B-2A Spirit developed by Northrop Grumman. It is noteworthy that initially they will not replace the B-52H Stratofortress aircraft, for which both B-1B and B-2A were created.
According to the US Air Force, the B-21 Ryder will be a low-profile bomber capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons.
As stated, the B-21 will form the backbone of the U.S. Air Force's advanced bomber fleet and will be crucial to support the national strategic deterrence strategy. Optimized for high-threat applications, the B-21 will play a crucial role in ensuring the potential of American aviation for the future. In addition to high-precision long-range strikes that will provide the command with the ability to hit any target anywhere in the world, the aircraft is being developed as a leading component of a larger family of systems that will provide information gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare and multi-domain network capabilities.
According to Northrop Grumman, the advantages of the sixth-generation B-21 aircraft will be low visibility due to the use of new production technologies and materials, expanded network capabilities, information superiority and open architecture.
The B-21 will be a digital bomber. Northrop Grumman uses agile software development, advanced manufacturing technologies, and digital design tools to reduce production risks and implement modern support methods. To respond to changing threats, the B-21 is being developed based on the principles of an open architecture with the possibility of rapid modernization in the future. Unlike previous-generation aircraft, the B-21 will not undergo a "block upgrade." New technologies and weapons systems will be seamlessly implemented through software updates and the flexibility of embedded hardware.
In total, the US Air Force plans to purchase at least 100 new B-21 Ryder bombers.
