When the “Raider” stealth bomber enters service with the Air Force, it will reportedly feature unparalleled capabilities.

The US military’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes, targeting nuclear-related assets in Iran earlier this summer, once again signified the importance of maintaining a substantial and robust bomber fleet. Serving as the air leg of America’s nuclear triad, the Air Force’s existing bombers are critical to US national security. While the service’s B-1B Lancers, B-2 Spirits, and B-52 Stratofortresses continue to deter American adversaries, these aging bombers are set to be replaced by their B-21 successor in the near future.

When the “Raider” stealth bomber enters service with the Air Force, it will reportedly feature unparalleled capabilities. From stealth and range to payload and avionics, the B-21 should particularly serve as a warning to Beijing. The Air Force initially green-lit 100 Raiders to be produced in total. However, US military officials have been continuously advocating for increasing this fleet to at least 145. Based on rising geopolitical tensions across the world, ensuring the Air Force possesses adequate numbers of critical aircraft like stealth bombers is essential.

Earlier this month, Air Force maj. gen. Jason Armagost detailed the significance of the quantity of Raiders expected to be produced in a discussion with the Air & Space Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. According to Armagost, “So, the B-21 … it’s in flight test now, it’s a phenomenal capability … In the job prior to this … I was interacting with acquisition, RCO [Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office], and Northrop Grumman in how we work together to drive the concepts, drive the requirements, drive the fielding and the manufacture, actually, of this airplane, so that it can become something different when we have it in numbers.” Armagost continued, “That’s what I’m most excited about, sixth-generation stealth brings with it, it brings its own set of pretty amazing capabilities, but what I’m most excited about is the ability to build a campaign force.”

What We Know About the Raider

The B-21 is the product of the Long-Range Strike Bomber program, which aimed to conceptualize an intercontinental strategic stealth bomber capable of delivering an unprecedented payload. Designated as the “Raider” to honor the Doolittle Raiders of World War II, the upcoming bomber platform is hard to rival. Based upon the initial rollouts of the platform, the B-21 is expected to be quite smaller than its B-2 predecessor. More so, the bomber’s wingspan is predicted to be at least 15 percent shorter than the Spirit’s as well. This significant advantage will make the new sixth-generation bomber extremely difficult for adversarial aircraft and radars to detect. Like the F-35 Lightning II, the B-21 will also incorporate modular systems that will allow for upgrades to be more seamlessly introduced to the platform as new technologies become available.

While the crux of the Raider program remains highly under wraps, what manufacturer Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have divulged is truly impressive. If the service indicates that a larger bomber fleet is essential to being able to carry out its aerial strategy, green-lighting an additional contingent of Raiders to be produced should be a no-brainer.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

Image: DVIDS.

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