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Northrop Grumman's B-21 Raider Dazzles in Public Debut, Ready to Fight Very Soon

Until today, the American B-21 Raider strategic stealth bomber was only known to the civilian sector as computer-generated graphic. But with all eyes in the military-industrial community firmly focused on Northrop Grumman, the aerospace giant formally unveiled their new flagship aircraft in a joint press conference with the U.S. Air Force.
B-21 Raider 9 photos
Photo: Northrop Grumman/USAF
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In front of a Palmdale, California crowd dripping with anticipation, the B-21 Raider didn't fail to meet expectations on first impressions up close and in the flesh. Designed to supplement and eventually replace elements of America's existing reserves of strategic bombers, the B-21 Raider is an airplane built to perform like no other. Starting with a flyby of a B-52, B-1 B, and B-2 Spirit strategic American bombers currently in service, the presentation for America's newest felt like a momentous occasion because it most certainly was.

Being smaller and skinnier than the existing B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the B-21 can still carry a considerable percentage of the Spirit's ordinance capacity. As a bonus, the B-21 will appear as little more than a small bird or insect on contemporary radar systems. It's a feat similar to what contemporary American stealth fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II can achieve in combat scenarios. All in all, it's nothing short of the most capable strategic bomber ever to jump from the drawing board to the real world.

As the hangar doors behind the stage crept backward, the long-awaited next flagship American stealth bomber waited tantalizingly behind a large cloth cover. As the covering was removed, the world waited in bated breath for stage lights to bring the B-21 into focus. When it did, it revealed what looked like a B-2 Spirit with the aspect ratio downsized. Though its design was not exactly groundbreaking from an aesthetical standpoint, U.S. Secretary of defense Lloyd Austin praised the B-21's lines.

In his remarks, Austin described the Raider as one of the most durable, formidable, and advanced strategic bombers ever devised. As the first strategic bomber in the U.S. arsenal introduced in three decades, the Air Force clearly took great pride in the level of technological improvement their newest aerial weapon touts from the word go.

The Raider's ability to operate far away from Allied forward airbases and cross whole continents to reach their targets undetected is the result of 60 years of stealth aircraft development . With some of it dating back as far as the late 1950s. Though an official deployment date will be difficult to calculate so soon after its public reveal, you can expect the B-21 Raider to be operating sometime well before this decade is out. Further information about flight performance will be reported as soon as it's revealed. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

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