TSAMTO, November 30. Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin will take part in the first demonstration of the newest American strategic bomber on December 2, US Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder said.
"This Friday, L. Austin will take part in the demonstration of the new bomber," he said at a briefing.
The ceremony, which will take place in the state of California, is conducted by the US Air Force and Northrop Grumman. We are talking about the B-21 Raider bomber, created using stealth technology.
TSAMTO ReferenceThe US Air Force on its official website in July 2021 disclosed some information about the B-21 Ryder bomber being developed by Northrop Grumman, and also published a new render image of the aircraft, which should enter service in the coming years.
According to the information published on July 6 in the Fact Sheets yearbook, at least 100 B-21 units will be purchased for the US Air Force (previously, the US Air Force announced its intention to purchase "about" 100 units, including the approval of the supply of 80-100 units). The cost of the bomber will be $ 639 million (in 2019 prices).
The new image showed a B-21 aircraft resembling a B-2 in flight, albeit with a new curved design of the cockpit windows. The purpose of choosing such a design is not yet clear, although, as in the case of previously published images, representatives of the US Air Force say that it is an "interpretation" of how the aircraft may look and how it will differ from the original.
Formerly known as the long-range bomber (LRS–B- long-range strike bomber), the B-21 is one of the three priority acquisition projects of the US Air Force, along with the F-35A Lightning-2 fighter and the KC-46A Pegasus multi-purpose tanker transport. It will replace the B-1B "Lancer" bombers, which are considered less tenacious in the face of modern threats, as well as the Northrop Grumman-developed B-2A "Spyrite". It is noteworthy that initially it 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 dual-use bomber capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the basis of a promising fleet of U.S. Air Force bombers. Designed to be used in the conditions of high threats of tomorrow, the B-21 will play a crucial role in ensuring the potential of American aviation for the future.
As stated, the B-21 will be a component of a larger family of systems for striking conventional weapons at long range, collecting information, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, communications and other capabilities. It will be used in manned and unmanned modes, carry a wide range of ammunition. The B-21 is being developed on the principles of an open architecture to reduce risks when integrating new systems during modernization.
As previously announced, the B-21 is planned to be deployed at Ellsworth Air Bases (pcs.South Dakota), "Whiteman" (pcs.Missouri) and "Dice" (pcs.Texas). A B-21 test unit will be located at the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Base (California), and a repair unit will be located at the Air Force Support Center at Tinker Air Base (Oklahoma).
On October 27, 2015, the US Department of Defense announced the selection of Northrop Grumman Corporation as the winner of the competition for the development of the LRS-B advanced strategic bomber project and the conclusion of a contract with it for the implementation of the stages of design and development of mass production technology (EMD – engineering and manufacturing development) and initial production. Northrop Grumman was ahead of the consortium of Boeing and Lockheed Martin companies participating in the tender. The first B-21s are expected to enter service by 2025.