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https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/small-insect-b-21-raiders-stealth-might-be-scary-good-208226
August 3, 2024 Topic: Security Region: Americas Blog Brand: The Buzz
Tags: B-21 RaiderB-21StealthU.S. Air ForceMilitaryDefense
'As Small as Insect': The B-21 Raider's Stealth Might Be Scary Good
Featuring advanced stealth technology, the B-21 is designed to evade
even the most sophisticated air defenses, with reports suggesting it
could have a radar signature as small as an insect. The Raider, capable
of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads, represents a
generational leap in military aviation.
by Peter Suciu Follow PeterSuciu on TwitterL
Summary and Key Points: In December 2022, Northrop Grumman unveiled the
B-21 Raider, the first new strategic bomber in over three decades,
poised to replace the aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers.
B-21 Raider
-Featuring advanced stealth technology, the B-21 is designed to evade
even the most sophisticated air defenses, with reports suggesting it
could have a radar signature as small as an insect. The Raider, capable
of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads, represents a
generational leap in military aviation.
-With a planned fleet of over 100 aircraft, the B-21 will be pivotal in maintaining U.S. air superiority against global adversaries like China
and Russia.
What Makes the B-21 Raider Bomber So Special: The Stealth
In early December 2022, aerospace giant Northrop Grumman officially
unveiled the B-21 Raider – the first new strategic bomber to be revealed
to the public in a generation and the first since the Northrop Grumman
B-2 Spirit made its public debut back in November 1988.
While similar in appearance to the B-2, the Raider is actually a
generational leap in aircraft technology and development. The Raider was developed to be the multifunctional backbone of the modernized bomber
fleet, gradually replacing the aging Rockwell B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit
bombers now in service. A dual-capable penetrating strike stealth
aircraft, the B-21 will be capable of delivering both conventional and
nuclear munitions.
The long-range bomber – named for the 80 men who took part in the World
War II "Doolittle Raid" on Tokyo in the spring of 1942 – was developed
using the aerospace firm's pioneering digital engineering practices and advanced manufacturing techniques together.
The bomber has certainly captivated aviation buffs since its public
unveiling. In November of last year, it made its maiden test flight in Palmdale, CA, where the bomber is currently undergoing testing.
B-21 Raider
The United States Air Force had previously announced that advanced
notice wouldn't be given as to when exactly the first flight would
occur, but the Raider had been undergoing taxi tests – and there was a
chance its maiden flight could have occurred unexpectedly. That happened
with the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon nearly 50 years ago when
it became airborne during a high-speed taxi test, a critical step toward
an aircraft’s first flight.
Though the service also didn’t publicize the event, about three dozen aviation enthusiasts and others gathered around Plant 42 and witnessed
the flying wing-styled bomber take to the skies.
"The B-21 Raider is in flight testing," Air Force spokeswoman Ann
Stefanek confirmed via a statement. "Flight testing is a critical step
in the test campaign managed by the Air Force Test Center and 412th Test
Wings B-21 Combined Test Force."
The Importance of the Stealth in the B-21 Raider
As noted, the B-21 features a similar "flying wing" design to the B-2
Spirit, yet as the Hudson Institute noted in a paper months back, "The
Raider embodies decades of advances in stealth technologies, which are
expected to have far outpaced advances in defensive systems. This is
essential to winning a war with China. Many of the PRC's high-priority
targets are deep inside Chinese territory and protected by advanced air defenses."
The authors of the paper further emphasized that the B‑21 Raider's
stealth would deny even peer adversaries like China or Russia the
critical information they need to neutralize the bomber, while the
pilots of the advanced strategic bomber would also be able to adapt and
change targets during a mission.
That could provide the B‑21 and its crews an advantage against
time-sensitive and mobile targets.
"The B‑21 can deliver large payloads accurately and in a timely manner
to gain the initiative and halt an aggressive campaign against US troops
or allies," the authors added. "The B‑21 provides flexibility, both
mission flexibility (it can be equipped with a variety of payloads) and operational flexibility (it can be operated from a range of bases and locations)."
Yet, the stealth does not mean that the B-21 would have the same similar operating cost as the famously pricey B‑2 Spirit. A key factor is that
the United States Air Force operates only 21 B‑2s but intends to procure
more than 100 of the cheaper B‑21s while increasing the size of the B‑21 fleet beyond the floor of 100 would drive down the O&S costs per plane.
B-21: Stealth Signature as Small as an Insect?
Since the aircraft's unveiling in late 20222, numerous reports have
claimed that the B-21 Raider could have a radar signature as small as an "insect."
The flying wing shape, along with its composite materials, is very good
at absorbing radar, but as Air & Space Forces magazine reported last
year, "[P]erhaps the most striking features of the B-21 are its slender, barely-there air intakes. Unlike the higher-rise, scalloped intakes on
the B-2, the B-21's are almost organically a part of its wing root.
That's good for stealth—radar loves abrupt angles and big cavities—but
the intakes are so thin and shallow, they seem hardly big enough to
swallow enough air to feed the B-21's engines."
Yet, the inlet area can accept the required mass flow of air, which
enables the engines to work fine. Likewise, while engine inlets appear
big on radar, having them on top of the aircraft could further make the
inlets invisible to ground radar.
The B-21 is also expected to have a high flight ceiling, which could
further make it difficult for radar to pick up the inlets.
B-21 Raider
Moreover, Northrop Grumman has continuously improved on its radar
absorbent material coating – which is expected to be more resilient than
the coating on the B-2 Spirit. That could allow quicker turn-around
between sorties while reducing the radar signature.
Whether the Raider actually is as small as an insect on radar isn't a
known fact, the B-21 will likely be an aircraft that is truly difficult
to track.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than
four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published
pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes
about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes
and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
All images are Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.
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