Stealth jet
B-21 Raider – US super bomber takes to the air for the first time
The B-21 Raider on the ground
© Northrop Grumman
After more than 30 years, the USA is building a new stealth bomber. It was shown in a hangar at the end of 2022 and is now taking off for the first time.
America is building a new strategic stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider. Now it has taken to the air for its first test flight. On the one hand, the program is top secret, but on the other hand, the Pentagon always has a few indiscretions in store to keep the audience entertained. Coincidentally, some photographers were also on site during the test flight. On December 2, 2022, the US Air Force showed the new uber-aircraft in a hangar for the first time; previously there were only renderings. “The B-21 Raider is undergoing flight testing,” said Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. “Flight testing is a critical step in the testing campaign conducted by the Air Force Test Center and the 412th Test Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force to provide survivable, long-range and penetrating strike capabilities to counter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States to deter.”
Near-series prototypes
The air force has ordered 100 bombers; in the long term they will replace the B-2 Spirit and the B-1 Lancer. Six test aircraft are currently in production and undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California. These models are close to series production; they are already being built on the later production line. The first series models are scheduled to be delivered around 2027. The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber in more than 30 years. By the way, the “B” stands for bomber and not for Boeing.
Like its predecessors, the B-21 Raider is designed as a flying wing, albeit with a thicker center section. The design was developed in Germany during the Second World War. Today it is primarily used to reduce the jet’s radar shadow and make location more difficult. However, this only applies as long as a conventional radar system is used. All major powers are working on alternative methods to detect stealth jets. It is therefore assumed that the B-21 Raider will have low-flying capabilities in order to evade ground-based radar stations.
In addition to the shape, a special coating reduces radar reflection. That of the raider is said to bring significant progress; it is said to be less sensitive and more durable. Like the F-35 fighter jet, the bomber is primarily a computer that can fly. These systems should be able to network and exchange information completely with other units. The Raider is significantly smaller than the B-2 Spirit and has smoother contours. The B-21 bomber has narrow cockpit windows, very small engine intakes. With smaller external dimensions, the room is comparatively spacious.
Air defense is currently stronger
As it appears in the air, further details of the jet become visible, allowing conclusions to be drawn about its capabilities. For example, the shape and size of engines and air inlets. The performance of networked electronics and stealth coating cannot be assessed in this way. For a long time, the USA was the only country that had strategic stealth bombers. Russia is now also working on a model, but it has not progressed beyond studies. China is already building the H-20. It should be able to reach Hawaii from mainland China without refueling in the air. The H-20 will probably be truly operational at the same time as the B-21 bomber is delivered.
What future stealth bombers will have is currently unclear. They will be able to transport long-range weapons, but they were built to break through the enemy’s air defenses undetected. Although no stealth jets are used in Ukraine, there is clear superiority of air defense over jets that only operate beyond the range of enemy air defense. The B-31’s nickname “Raider” alludes to the so-called “Doolittle Raid”. Mainly to boost morale after Pearl Harbor, the US moved 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers onto an aircraft carrier in 1942. On April 18, 1942, they attacked Tokyo and the war reached Japanese soil for the first time.