US Air Force Rolls Out New Images of Its Next-Generation Stealth Bomber

A Twiiter screenshot showing the B-21 stealth bomberInternationalIndiaAfricaOleg BurunovThe B-21, which was unveiled during a ceremony at a Northrop Grumman plant in December 2022, aims to replace the ageing US B-2 bomber and has a hefty price tag: a whopping $692 million per plane. The US Air Force (USAF) has released new photos of its newest strategic stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, including a snap showing the state-of-the-art warplane from a higher angle. The other image is a close up photo of the B-21’s nose that shows the “hawk’s-beak” profile of the new bomber.© Photo : Twitter/@space_osintA Twitter screenshot showing a new photo of the B-21 bomber released by the US Air ForceA Twitter screenshot showing a new photo of the B-21 bomber released by the US Air ForceAn international military aviation media outlet reported in this context that “from a 3/4 point of view, this [profile] seems to be quite similar to the one of the B-2, the B-21’s three decades-old progenitor that will finally be replaced with the new plane.”The release of the photos come after the USAF unveiled the B-21 during a ceremony at manufacturer Northrop Grumman’s facility in California in early December 2022.

The attendees included US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who referred to the Raider as "a testament to America's enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation."

He claimed that the new plane would offer significant advances over existing bombers in the US fleet, arguing that “even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect the B-21 in the sky.”

Austin then went further by asserting that the new bomber was built with an "open system architecture," which allows for the incorporation of "new weapons that haven't even been invented yet."

© AFP 2023 / FREDERIC J. BROWNThe B-21 Raider is unveiled during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman’s Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, December 2, 2022The B-21 Raider is unveiled during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman’s Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, December 2, 2022As expected, the Pentagon chief remained tight-lipped about the specific features of the B-21, which is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons. The aircraft has a projected price tag of $692 million each, with the USAF planning to build at least 100 such bombers.

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