The new Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider -- informally called the "China Bomber" -- is still expected to enter service with the U.S. Air Force in 2025 despite its first flight being delayed to early 2022. It's expected to reach initial operational capability (IOC) by 2030.
The B-21 Raider is a very-long range, stealth strategic bomber designed to deliver a conventional and thermonuclear weapon bomb load weighing 12,700 kg anywhere in the world. Outwardly similar in appearance to the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the Raider will become the longest-ranged bomber in the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) when it enters service. Hence, its nickname, China Bomber.
Major General Mark Weatherington, who commands both the Eighth Air Force and the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, said the Air Force now expects the first flight of the B-21 Raider to take place no earlier than 2022. First flight was originally scheduled for the late 2021. The B-21 project began in 2014 and is now in an advanced stage of development.
Gen. Weatherington also said the Air Force might advance the Raider's IOC if it accelerates deliveries of the new bomber. This means the production pace of the bomber will be increased but could also indicate an earlier delivery of the new bomber.
The B-21 will eventually replace all the three existing strategic bombers operated by USSTRATCOM: the Rockwell B-1B Lancer, the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress.
The Air Force plans to acquire some 100 B-21s for an estimated $80 billion. It describes the B-21 as a fifth-generation global precision attack platform. This stealth bomber will give the Air Force a networked sensor-shoot capability with broadband stealth capability.
First known as the "Long Range Strike-Bomber" or LRS-B, the B-21 is distinguished by its very long range and its ability to keep attacking distant targets such as those in the China. It's designed to defeat low-frequency radars as effectively as high frequency sets. The Raider will be capable of carrying the entire range of air delivered nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal.
Ultimately, the B-21 will be transformed into the world's first unmanned or robotic strategic bomber with unmatched endurance. Unlike its sister strategic bombers, the B-21 will be capable of loitering over a battlefield for extended periods of time.
This endurance will allow it to attack multiple targets of opportunity with precision. It's being designed to survive daylight raids in heavily defended enemy territory.
