How is the B-21 “Stealth Killer” that just flew a test flight different from the B-2 “Ghost”?

The B-2 is a “Ghost”, which can attack enemy targets like a shadow without being detected. The B-21 “Raider” clearly wants to penetrate the enemy’s powerful air defense fire network.

On November 10, without any prior notice to the outside world, the US B-21 Raider stealth bomber completed its first flight at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.

The B-21 stealth bomber was developed by Northrop Grumman, the company that developed the B-2 stealth bomber 30 years earlier; therefore, many of the B-2’s design philosophies were applied to the B-21.

The B-21 bomber is called by the US as the world’s first sixth-generation stealth aircraft, characterized by advanced networking capabilities. At first glance, the B-21 may be a copy of the B-2 stealth bomber, but with a smaller shape.

The B-21 is not called a “strategic bomber” like the B-2, but only a “long-range bomber”, but can carry out both conventional and nuclear attack missions. This event brings the B-21 closer to becoming the next stealth bomber that can carry nuclear weapons for the US.

Because it was born 30 years after the B-2, the research and development (R&D) cost has been significantly reduced, so the unit price of the B-21 is only 650 million USD/unit, while the B-2 costs up to 2.4 billion USD/unit.

According to the Pentagon’s plan, the number of B-21s purchased by the US Army will be up to 100 and will increase depending on the situation in the future. The B-21 will also replace the B-52 and B-1B bombers, and even the B-2 in the near future.

The B-21 uses a “flying wing” aerodynamic design, similar to the B-2. From the outside, the B-21 resembles the B-2 but with a smaller shape. The wingspan of the B-21 is less than 45 meters, while the B-2 has a wingspan of 52 meters.

However, we cannot think that the B-21 is a model with worse performance than the B-2 just because the B-21 is smaller and cheaper than the B-2. On the contrary, with the latest technology, the B-21 is a bomber capable of “penetrating” the enemy’s air defense shield. The threat posed by the B-21 is much greater than that of the B-2.

The so-called “penetrating air control” refers to penetrating the enemy’s air defense system in a complex and high-intensity battlefield environment, and performing precision detection and attack missions in the enemy’s strategic areas. This is the purpose that the B-21 is aiming for.

Unlike the B-2 stealth bomber, the B-21 benefits from the advancement of modern aviation technology, not only ensuring attack capabilities but also having the ability to independently detect and share data with other aircraft to provide intelligence.

The B-21 is also like a backstage support center, conducting reconnaissance, target allocation, attack and damage assessment in all situations in the enemy’s strategic area.

The difference between the B-2 and the B-21 can be seen right from the name, the name of the B-2 is “Ghost”, meaning that this type of bomber hopes to conduct attacks on enemy targets as a “shadow” without being detected;

The name of the B-21 “Raider” clearly wants to penetrate the enemy’s powerful air defense fire network, like knowing there is a tiger in the mountain, but daring to go into the mountain to find the tiger to catch.

US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said that the B-21 Raider is a subsonic stealth bomber. With an integrated wing and fuselage design and a modern stealth coating, the B-21 Raider is said to be able to bypass the most modern warning radars today.

In addition, the aerodynamic design also enhances the B-21’s breakthrough ability and survival chances. The US claims that the “stealth killer” B-21 will have significant advances compared to the modern bombers that the US currently owns.

The Pentagon emphasized that “even the most advanced air defense systems will have to ‘struggle’ to detect the B-21 in the sky”. According to the design philosophy, the B-21 is built with an open structure, allowing the integration of “new weapons, even those not yet invented” and easy to upgrade later.