Image source: topwar.ru
The US Air Force has scheduled a presentation of the new B-21 Raider strategic bomber for December 2. As the American edition emphasizes 19fortyfive.com, the creation of this bomber aircraft is a "success story" of both the US aircraft industry and the American administration. After all, the program for the construction of the aircraft was completed on time, the manufacturer met the allocated budget.
The new aircraft represents a step forward in the evolution of strategic bombers. The publication calls it a bomber for a new era of air wars. So, real successes are noticeable in avionics, electronic systems, stealth functions, weapons. They will allow the bomber to operate even in conditions of intensive operation of enemy air defense systems.
A separate and very interesting question is the timely creation of an aircraft. Lagging behind schedule and the inability to fit all expenses into the allocated funds have long been a trademark of the American defense industry. However, in the case of the B-21, everything turned out differently. The program was launched in 2015, and 7 years later Northrop Grumman released the first aircraft. The publication calls this program the fastest and most successful in the history of modern American military aircraft construction.
But, of course, the main question is whether the new aircraft will meet the needs of the Air Force in bombers in the new era of air wars. The US press believes that - yes.
- the author writes 19fortyfive.com and expert Daniel Gur.
The future of air warfare, according to the analyst, depends on the interaction of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. The integration of sensors for the rapid transmission of information will also play an important role. Such an aircraft as the B-21 will be able to react to the environment in an unprecedented way, as it is equipped with the most modern electronics and surveillance equipment.
Raider can become a central player in revolutionizing the strike capabilities of the US Air Force, Daniel Gur believes. After all, the main attention when creating the aircraft was paid not only to its combat qualities of the bomber, but also to the accompanying capabilities, including reconnaissance, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack, communications. The bomber will be able to use the most diverse range of long-range and direct-action ammunition.
Advanced electronics and stealth functions will allow the B-21 strategic bomber to overcome the enemy's complex air defense systems. The B-21, like the F-35, will allegedly be able to act as an aviation command post, controlling so-called swarms of manned and unmanned platforms.
At the same time, analysts are wondering whether the new aircraft will be available in large quantities sufficient to cover the needs of the US Air Force in such platforms? So far, the Pentagon has announced the need for 100 such aircraft, but some experts consider it more reasonable to produce 200 bombers, given the aging of the existing fleet of bomber aircraft and the latest achievements in the field of air defense. No one can say how much such a fleet of promising strategic bombers can cost the American taxpayer against the background of record inflation for the United States over the past half century.
