• The B-21 Raider can carry a nuclear payload and be flown without a crew on board.
• The next-generation stealth bomber was unveiled.
• The US Air Force intends to purchase at least 100 aircraft, each of which costs $700 million.

The B-21 Raider, a high-tech strategic bomber that can carry a nuclear payload and be flown without a crew on board, has been presented by the United States.

The next-generation stealth bomber was unveiled on Friday at the Northrop Grumman plant in California in front of prominent US government representatives.

According to a Northrop Grumman representative, the US Air Force intends to purchase at least 100 B-21 aircraft, each of which costs $700 million.

The new bombers are being unveiled when geopolitical tensions between the US, Russia, and China are at an all-time high due to the conflict in Ukraine and Taiwan’s territorial integrity.

On Wednesday, Russian and Chinese strategic bombers conducted a joint eight-hour patrol over the western Pacific as a sign of their continuing military cooperation.

The mission to strengthen defense ties with Russia was described as “normal” by China’s Defense Ministry.

In order to compete with the B-21, Moscow and Beijing are both presently working on strategic stealth bombers, the nuclear-capable Tupolev PAK DA from Russia and the nuclear-capable Xian H-20 from China.

The B-21 is capable of flying without a pilot, but according to the US Air Force, there hasn’t been a choice to do so. Nevertheless, the aircraft is “provisioned for the potential.”

In a prepared statement read at the event on Friday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remarked, “The B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more over three decades.”

Austin praised the aircraft’s outstanding design and range.

No other long-range bomber can compete with its effectiveness, according to Austin.

He said, “Fifty years of low-observable technology advancements have gone into this aircraft.”

Even the most advanced air defense systems will have difficulty spotting the B-21 in the skies.

The B-21, which resembles its predecessor in appearance, has the range and midair refueling capability to transport conventional and nuclear bombs all over the world.

The new aircraft have been welcomed by Northrop Grumman as “the backbone of our future bomber force.”

The long-range bomber is anticipated to make its first flight in 2023, according to the aerospace and design firm. At its plant in California, six of the long-range bombers are in various phases of production and testing.

Unveiled today, the B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable, penetrating-strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force consisting of B-21s and B-52s.(U.S. Air Force photo) pic.twitter.com/X6KSU7sy6U

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— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) December 3, 2022

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