The U.S. Air Force stands at a critical pivot point as it transitions from the venerable B-2 Spirit to the long-awaited B-21 Raider. Recent news that the service will retire one more B-2 Spirit bomber, shrinking the fleet down to 19 flying airframes, further underscores the stakes. The decision comes after a ground accident at a base late in 2022 that made the plane uneconomical to repair.
While the B-21 Raider takes its first steps toward service, reportedly the most advanced stealth bomber in the world, the B-2 remains a critical element in the U.S.’s strategic bombing capabilities. As promising as the Raider is, it is not operational yet, and that does beg some questions regarding bomber presence until B-21s do enter service. Until B-21 becomes serviceable, it is B-2 Spirit that carries on with the mission of being the backbone of the Air Force’s long-range strike mission.
The US Air Force presently maintains three different kinds of strategic bombers, namely, the B-52, B-1B, and B-2 Spirits, all of which are capable of conducting low-radar cross-sectional operations. The B-2 is highly capable, having the ability to carry over 40,000 pounds of conventional and nuclear weapons, 16 of which are satellite-guided, 2,000-1b bombs, and able to engage targets in Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya over some 35 years of service.
But the Air Force is permanently losing one more of its B-2s, leaving the service with just 19 airframes. The DoD declared, “The B-2 is being divested in fiscal year 2025 due to a ground accident/damage presumed to be uneconomical to repair.” The damaged B-2 had to make an emergency landing at the end of 2022, catching fire on the runway. Conclusion: Officials likely are of the firm belief that such older airframes, whether the B-1, B-52, or B-2, are just not worth throwing more money at. Rather, the B-21 Raider is the replacement for the entire B-2 arsenal of aircraft.
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is meant to take the place of the B-2 as the dominant very low-observable stealth bombing platform in the world. It was born in the U.S. Within the Long-Range Strike Bomber program of the Air Force, Raider emerged officially late last year inside the sprawling Palmdale, California production facility of Northrop Grumman. If its exact specs and capabilities are the subject of intense secrecy, certain unique features have already trickled out. It is approximately 85% of the Spirit’s length, and thus harder to detect. A continuation of a strategic bombing mission and an advanced capability related to the Long Range Strike Mission from U.S. bases, like the predecessors of the Raider. It will also be nuclear-capable.
The only silver lining in the silver cloud is the decline of the bomber fleet in America. The result has been a next-generation medium stealth bomber, enabling the Pentagon to finally chalk up that rarest of success stories: coming in under budget and developing in record time. The B-21, which is supposed to deliver strike capability on time and save the rapidly shrinking fleet, it cannot afford any delays; neither can its procurement quantity shrink. Sadly, the Air Force had originally planned to buy 132 B-2s, but purchased a total of only 21 in the end, even though the unit cost of these strategic weapons proved to be a decisive factor and the necessity for stealthy targets seemed to offer depleted need in the war on terror. This brittle fleet proved that bomber procurement could not be forsaken; to do so would be a myopic error.
Among these is the willingness of the Air Force to maintain a high visibility of bombers to deter friends and detractors of the United States. With advanced capabilities packed in a state-of-the-art platform, the B-21 Raider shall fill that gap and see to it that the U.S. remains a force to reckon with across the globe.