The B-21 Raider is an advanced stealth bomber that will form the backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s future bomber force, together with the venerable B-52. As a dual-capable aircraft, it is designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear munitions in the most contested environments, which will ensure that America’s airpower continues to be imposing.
The B-21 Raider is far more than a bomber; it’s a part of an entirely larger system for Long Range Strike system encompassing ISR, electronic attack, and communications. Capable of both manned and unmanned operations, the aircraft can employ a wide range of stand-off and direct-attack munitions.
Salient features of the B-21 include the open systems architecture, which will reduce integration risks and foster future competition in modernization. This adaptability helps to ensure the aircraft evolves with the threat environment.
Development of the B-21 Raider is led by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and overseen by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Secretary of the Air Force. Northrop Grumman was awarded the Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract on October 27, 2015. Other primary contractors on the program include Pratt & Whitney; Janicki Industries; Collins Aerospace; GKN Aerospace; BAE Systems; and Spirit Aerosystems.
By 2018, the program was successful in completing the Critical Design Review for the weapon systems to prove the maturity and stability of the design by risk management. A year later, the Air Force announced preferred locations for B-21 main operating bases as Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, Whiteman AFB in Missouri, and Dyess AFB in Texas. It was later been confirmed that Ellsworth would act as an initial main operation base and the site for a Formal Training Unit in 2021.
Testing and sustainment will be conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, respectively. It has been named in honor of the Doolittle Raiders, flyers that launched a surprise attack against Japan during World War II, which had a large bearing on the course of Japanese military strategy and increased Allied morale.
The B-21 Raider is supposed to be the game-changer in modern warfare, with a minimum inventory of 100 aircraft. Coming to the average unit procurement cost, as of 2022, it stands at an estimation of US$692 million. The mid-2020s are expected to see this aircraft in operation, which is going to be one more milestone in the evolution of U.S. airpower.
The Department of Defense meanwhile has released its first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy to keep a healthy defense industrial base. The NDIS, as the department refers to it, was released on January 11, with a particular focus on how a modern defense ecosystem is integral for integrated deterrence given building enduring advantages. With this strategy, the DoD intends to overcome bureaucratic inertia, an inability to act agilely, and inadequate investments in human capital and supply chains.
It notes under the NDIS, the “valley of death”a slow transition from the pilot stage to widespread adoption a significant barrier to innovation. It also identifies other key barriers: workforce shortages in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, advanced manufacturing, fragile supply chains, and vulnerabilities to espionage and unfair trade practices.
While the NDIS has garnered widespread praise for its comprehensive approach, it also drew criticism for lacking implementation details. In addition to the budgetary challenge, the strategy is double tasked with ensuring long-term federal funding while balancing its international collaboration goal with “Buy American” provisions and strict export controls.
It is in meeting these challenges that the focus will be brought to bear as the Department of Defense prepares to unveil its implementation plan, ensuring the successful adoption of the NDIS and continued advancement of U.S. defense capabilities.