The skies of the Middle East once again witness the strength of the strategic aviation of the United States. Amid growing tension between Washington and Tehran, the B-2 Spirit invisible bomber-a symbol aircraft of the American technological supremacy since the 1990s-has been used in surgical attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. But while the world witnesses the effectiveness of B-2 in real operations, the Pentagon is already preparing to launch its successor, the B-21 Raider.
Promising to be even more stealthy, resistant, and versatile, the new bomber represents a paradigm shift in the way the United States plans to wage aerial wars in the 21st century. Expected to go into operation from 2026, Raider combines total invisibility – not just radars, but also to infrared sensors and electronic monitoring systems – with the ability to operate both manned and autonomously. The new aircraft is also able to transport nuclear and conventional weapons.
The B-21, which costs $ 700 million each, will gradually replace B-1 and B-2, whose first flights date from the Cold War. It was the first time in 30 years that the US reveals to the public a new bomber. -B-21 will be the backbone of our future bombing fleet. It will have reach, access and payload to enter the most problematic areas, ”the US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told AFP at the launch of the aircraft.
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The aircraft incorporates artificial intelligence, real -time command networks and total integration with cyber platforms. Its conception is part of a broader doctrinal change in American military aviation, which seeks to respond to increasingly technological and dispersed threats.
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Many device specifications have not been revealed, but it must offer significant advances regarding the bombers of the current American fleet. The aircraft is “open architecture”, which means it can be updated faster and more easily. The B-21 was “designed to evolve,” said Amy Nelson of the Brookings Center.
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“The B-21 is more sophisticated than its predecessors. It is truly modern. Not only has dual capacity, unlike B-2, which means it can launch nuclear or conventional missiles, but it can also shoot short and long range,” said Amy Nelson of the Brookings Study Center.
Since the F-22 and F-35 fighters, the B-21 will feature technology known as “stealth”, making it harder for opponents’ air defense radars to locate it. Technology has existed for decades, but Northrop said the B-21 will have the last generation.
Raider will be cheaper to operate, easier to maintain and more versatile, capable of launching conventional, nuclear weapons, hypersonic missiles and participating in electronic war missions. The modularity of your design should allow constant updates of software and sensors, something essential in times of rapid technological changes.
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The differences between the two bombers also reflect a qualitative leap. B-2 was a pioneer in radar invisibility; B-21 expands this concept to multiple domains, becoming virtually invisible throughout the electromagnetic spectrum.
If B-2 symbolized the apex of military technology in the late twentieth century, the B-21 Raider is the American bet to ensure air superiority in the 21st century. Its official debut is still surrounded by confidentiality, but the Pentagon already presents it as “the backbone of the future bombing fleet.”
The name of the aircraft is a tribute to an attack by the American Air Force the city of Tokyo in April 1942 during World War II.
