New generation bomber in 21. National Interest: The United States will create a new missile for a nuclear strike on the Russian Federation and China

The American military showed the world the appearance of a new strategic bomber, which in the future should replace the B-52, B-1 and B-2, which have long been in US service.

Intrigue about what the American long-range bomber of the future will look like has persisted since October 2015. Then it was that the contract to create a new aircraft for the Long Range Strike Bomber project (LRSB, “Long Range Strike Bomber.” - Gazeta.Ru) was awarded to Northrop Grumman Corporation, and its competitors and Lockheed Martin dropped out of the competition.

Little was known about the new bomber, which in the 21st century will have to carry out strategic missions far from permanent bases. It was only reported that the aircraft will be made using Stealth technology, designed to complicate its detection by radars. Besides,

The bomber is capable of carrying hydrogen bombs, nuclear and conventional weapons. Also, according to some reports, it will be able to perform assigned tasks without a crew.

Recently, information leaked to the media that new data about the aircraft of the future will be announced in the first week of March, but this happened a little earlier. Speaking at a weapons symposium hosted by the Air Force Association, US Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James showed the appearance of the future aircraft on the screen.

In addition, the minister removed the intrigue regarding the designation of the product - it will be called B-21.

“So we have an image, a designation, but what we don’t have is a name,” the minister said. “And that’s why I’m asking all aviators today: Nominate the name B-21 for America’s newest bomber.”

What the name of the new bomber will be, many media are more concerned about than its technical features. So, Defense News organized a vote. Among the proposed options are Raven, Liberator II, Shadow, Penetrator and even Banshee. The latter is a scary character from Irish folklore who appears near the house of a person doomed to death.

The aircraft has not yet been prototyped, so the computer rendering is based on initial designs. The name B-21 is a tribute to the fact that the LRS-B aircraft will be the first American bomber of the 21st century.

James also explained the aircraft's visual similarity to the B-2 Spirit stealth strategic bomber already in service with the United States, also the brainchild of Northman Grumman.

“The B-21 was designed from the very beginning based on a set of requirements that allow us to use existing and proven technologies,” the minister said.

In a statement, Northrop Grumman spokesman Tim Painter emphasized the importance of the B-21 to the future of the United States. “Northrop Grumman is proud to serve as prime contractor on the B-21 bomber project, partnering with the U.S. Air Force to achieve capabilities vital to our national security. Any further questions should be directed to the Air Force,” Painter said.

You don't have to be an aviation expert not to notice the striking resemblance of the presented model to the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft.

The B-2, a flying-wing aircraft, is the most expensive aircraft in aviation history, for which it is often criticized by aviation experts.

Experts note that the new aircraft, judging by the released image, is more likely to become an evolutionary continuation of its predecessor than a new development from scratch.

The B-21's four engines, the main sources of infrared radiation that enhances the aircraft's signature, will be further hidden in the airframe, with their air intakes integrated into the cockpit.

Despite the fact that so far only a mock-up of the future aircraft has been presented to the public, its appearance has attracted the attention of many media outlets and aviation experts around the world. “China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and everyone in the world who is developing stealth technology will look at this drawing to understand where design thought is directed in the United States,” writes .

According to experts, the new bomber will cost about $511 million.

The cost of developing the Northrop Grumman aircraft is expected to be about $23.5 billion. Earlier, American newspapers, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that the total value of the contract would be $21.4 billion, and the total transaction amount would be about $80 billion.

The new US Air Force B-21 strategic bomber was named "Raider". The announcement was made at the Air Force Association Cybersecurity Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. According to the authors, the name of the aircraft refers to the famous raid on Tokyo on April 18, 1942 by a group of B-25 Mitchell bombers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle. It was the first American air raid on Japan during World War II and was a response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

A B-25 takes off from the deck of the USS Hornet.

The naming ceremony for the B-21 was attended by a 101-year-old lieutenant colonel, one of the participants in the famous raid. Cole was Doolittle's co-pilot. The elderly American aviator said that he was very sorry that his commander was not present when naming the new strategic bomber, and that he himself was not worthy to represent it at this event.

The tradition of giving proper names to aircraft in service with the US Air Force has existed for many decades. Usually these are proud and formidable names, but often they are completely crowded out of circulation by “folk”, significantly more prosaic names. Thus, no one calls the A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft anything other than Warthog. And the name Bone (“Bone”) was attached to the B-1 Lancer bomber (“Spearman”), which came from the spelling of its designation in words, not in numbers: B-one.

To avoid putting a disrespectful name on the B-21 and to further popularize it, the US Air Force announced a competition among personnel for the best name. Over two months (March - May 2016), more than 4.6 thousand name options were submitted to the competition. From these, Air Force Strategic Command selected 15 finalists before announcing the winner.

Billions, secrets and senators

The creation of a new generation of strike aircraft for strategic aviation is part of the long-term development strategy of the US Air Force, the current fleet of which will be completely obsolete and physically worn out by the middle of the 21st century. The emergence of powerful modern air defense systems among potential adversaries of the United States is also taken into account.

The development of strategic combat systems is carried out in the United States in a much more closed regime than programs to create tactical aircraft. However, the production of strategic bombers requires many billions of dollars from the state budget.

To approve such expenses, the consent of the US Congress is required, and this cannot be achieved without publicizing at least some details of the program at a certain stage, for the sake of public support.

It was for this purpose that on February 26, 2016, at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium held in Orlando, US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James publicly demonstrated a computer image for the first time and presented the official name of one of the Pentagon’s most secret projects - the B-21 stealth strategic bomber developed by Northrop Grumman, formerly known as the LRS-B (Long-Range Strike Bomber). The B-21, James said, "will enable the U.S. Air Force to effectively fight against the most challenging future threats and give it exceptional flexibility, providing the ability to conduct air strikes anywhere on the globe when launched from the continental United States."

Air Force Association

This is an influential public organization that unites military personnel, civilian specialists and members of their families on a voluntary basis, and is sponsored by almost all leading companies that supply equipment and weapons to the US Air Force.

The development of the B-21 began in 2004, when the US Congress began funding the Next Generation Bomber (NGB) program. The government's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR 2006), released in 2006, called for a new generation bomber to enter service in 2018.

The NGB program has picked up pace. Its mission was formulated as the development of a new ground-based long-range weapon system for penetrating protected airspace. The new bomber was created as an addition to the modernized fleet of existing aircraft. Until 2006, the US Air Force stated that its B-1, B-2 and B-52 strategic bombers were sufficient to carry out its missions until 2037. It was predicted that by that time, new promising technologies would have matured, such as aircraft with hypersonic cruising speed, which could be used in the development of a new bomber. These views were revised in QDR 2006, accelerating the introduction of a new bomber into the Air Force by almost 20 years.

Alan Diaz/AP

Two developers took part in the NGB program on a competitive basis: Northrop Grumman and the joint team of Boeing and Lockheed-Martin. Both had experience in developing modern bombers. Northrop was the prime contractor for the B-2 program, in which Boeing participated as a primary subcontractor. The main contractor for the B-1 was Rockwell International, later acquired by Boeing. In addition, Boeing is the developer of the B-52.

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

From FY 2004 to FY 2009, the Pentagon requested $1.4 billion in NGB funds through open Air Force R&D budget items alone. However, after a strong start, the Secretary of Defense said he was recommending delaying the start of full-scale development: "We will not challenge the development of the Air Force's next bomber until we have a better understanding of the need, requirements and technology."

In the process of work on the NGB, a final answer was not found, in particular, questions about the need for remote piloting functions and the ability to carry nuclear weapons. Both requirements led to increased cost and complexity of the machine.

Following the closure of the NGB program in 2009, the US military conducted an intensive analysis of options for solving long-range strike missions. Various approaches were considered, including “flying arsenals”—large-sized missile carriers launched outside enemy air defense zones, ballistic missiles with non-nuclear warheads, air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, and other means. After considering all areas, Secretary of Defense Gates in 2011 approved the Air Force's request to continue development of an optionally manned bomber to penetrate air defense zones.

The program was called “Long Range Strike - Bomber, LRS-B”. This name with a dash before the word “bomber” has led to speculation that there may be other subsystems of long-range strike weapons.

Indeed, there are quite a few indications that the LRS-B concept differs significantly from the NGB, which was intended to be much more ambitious and expensive. It was assumed that the NGB would act almost autonomously, which seriously tightened the requirements for it. The NGB would have target reconnaissance capability and other functions, which for the LRS-B would be performed through a network of other systems already existing on other USAF vehicles. At the program's launch ceremony, unnamed Air Force officials confirmed that LRS-B will operate in conjunction with other undisclosed components of the interconnected system. Experts believe that among these additional subsystems, the most likely to be target search and detection subsystems, communications and electronic warfare systems.

Beginning in fiscal year 2011, after a two-year hiatus, Congress resumed funding for the new bomber program. Over the next five years, more than $2.7 billion was allocated under the same Air Force R&D cost open financial reporting program element (PE 0604015F) that was used for NGB.

After considering proposals from two competitors, in October 2015, US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced her intention to award the LRS-B development contract to Northrop Grumman.

The leader of the rival Boeing team protested this decision. However, the US Government Accountability Office, after a detailed review of the complaint, announced on February 16, 2016 that the protest was rejected.

The contract with Northrop Grumman includes two phases of the program. The first is engineering & manufacturing development, including the production of two or three prototypes. The cost of this phase was previously estimated by the US Air Force at $21.4 billion in 2010. Representatives of the US Air Force assure that the cost of the first phase will be about 30% of the total cost of the contract. The second phase is low rate production of the first B-21 aircraft in five batches.

The US Air Force has not released the total cost of the contract or the cost of its second phase, however, it said that it is based on an average cost estimate of $511 million per aircraft in 2010 for a total production run of 100 aircraft.

As proposed by the US Air Force, the first phase of the contract is structured on a cost-plus-bonus basis. The second phase (production) - at a fixed price for each aircraft. This approach met with vigorous opposition in the US Congress, most notably from the influential Senator, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said in late February 2016: “I say that I will not approve the program under a cost-plus-bonus contract... They [the BBC] will say it's because they're not sure of some of the necessary elements at the development stage. Great, then don't issue the contract until you're sure. If you have a cost-plus-premium contract, tell me one case where costs did not increase, and then I will reconsider [my position]. The mindset at , which still somehow allows this approach, is just infuriating."

Showing off his newest iPhone to reporters, McCain continued: “Silicon Valley made the latest model [of this thing] without a cost-plus-premium contract.” Well, yes, the technology is such that we are not sure about it. But somehow commercial programs can get by without cost-plus-premium contracts.

This is an evil that has multiplied and multiplied and multiplied over the years, and I will not tolerate this for any weapon system.” When the senator was told that the contracts had already been signed, he replied: “I have no objections, let them do whatever the hell they want, but we [the US Congress] must allocate the money.”

The USAF had no intention of making the main subcontractors on the contract public, not even the engine supplier. This was met with equally strenuous objections from McCain, who called the secrecy surrounding the program "stupid." “It could be Pratt-Whitney, or Rolls-Royce, or whatever the hell. I say it's just stupid. This is sort of the classic Pentagon approach. I don’t know who the contractor is, but we’ll find out who makes the engines. If anyone wants to make engines for an airplane that requires congressional approval, then it should be known who makes them and under what conditions,” the senator grumbled.

As a result, under pressure from legislators, on March 7, 2016, the US Air Force was forced to announce a list of the main subcontractors of the B-21 program, however, without specifying who supplied which system components. The list included Pratt-Whitney (as McCain predicted), BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace, Janicki Industries, Orbital OTK, Rockwell Collins, Spirit AeroSy.

If for the current 2016 financial year the budget includes costs of $736 million, then next year it is planned that they will almost double and in the future the annual increase in costs will continue.

The persistent opposition of the US Air Force and Defense to the disclosure of the cost of the program has yielded results. During discussions of the draft military budget for fiscal year 2017, Senate Armed Services Committee member Bill introduced an amendment to the bill confirming the secret status of this data. After a heated discussion, the amendment was adopted by 19 votes in favor and seven against, and now data on the total cost of the contract and its second, production part will be disclosed only at closed hearings of relevant congressional committees. Nelson commented on his amendment: “The BBC is right. I don’t want to give our enemies information by which they can understand the weight and [structural] materials of the aircraft.”

100-ton remote-controlled stealth bomber

According to an image already published by the US Air Force, the B-21 will largely replicate the B-2A currently in service in its aerodynamic concept and layout. “The B-21 was designed from the very beginning to be able to utilize the best of existing, well-established technologies.” This should make it possible to reduce the technical risks of the program, the timing of its implementation and the cost of the aircraft,” Deborah Lee James explained the external resemblance to its predecessor.

The most characteristic difference between the appearance of the B-21 and the B-2 is the configuration of the trailing edge of the wing in the form of a single W (the B-2 has a double W). The simplest explanation for this fact is that the B-21 is almost certainly equipped with two afterburning versions of the Pratt-Whitney F135 engine (the B-2 has four General Electric engines (F118).

No specifications of the B-21 have been disclosed yet. According to experts, the B-21, unlike its predecessor, is made in a significantly smaller size: its wingspan is estimated at 35-40 m (for the B-2 - 52.4 m), take-off weight - 80-100 tons (for the B -2 - 152 tons, maximum - 170.6 tons), bomb load weight 6-12 tons (B-2 - 18 tons). The combat radius from the air refueling point is 1.8-3.6 thousand km. Analysts have no doubt about the subsonic maximum speed of the aircraft.

The key property of the B-21 is, of course, its low visibility to enemy radars. In a 2012 analytical review by the Russian State Research Institute of Aviation Systems, the effective scattering surface (ESR) of the B-21's predecessor, the Northrop Grumman NGB aircraft, was estimated at such values ​​that anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) that detect fighters at a range of 200 km, will be able to “see” a stealth bomber only at a distance of 60 km.

For such a vehicle, holes are formed in the area of ​​continuous coverage protected by the air defense system, which the bomber can use to build a route safe from air defense systems.

As part of the B-21 program, there is a concept for its use in conjunction with drones as part of a long-range mixed strike air group. At the same time, drones will be assigned the functions of conducting electronic warfare (EW), as well as searching and additional reconnaissance of targets over a wide area without the use of unmasking systems and unwanted radar radiation.

The most likely candidate for the role of the B-21’s “combat partner” is the still classified RQ-180 drone, developed by the same Northrop Grumman company. The first information about it appeared in an article by famous American aviation journalists Amy Butler and Bill Sweetman, published in the December 6, 2013 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technologies magazine. The article was accompanied by a computer image of the device. Over time, the US Air Force acknowledged the existence of such an unmanned aerial vehicle, but still refuses to discuss its characteristics.

Development of the RQ-180 dates back to 2008, in which Northrop Grumman's public financial statements show that its Integrated Sysatems division in Palmdale, Calif., had added $2 billion to its order book. The division is responsible for the B-2 bomber and drones. Global Hawk and Fire Scout, and now the B-21. Publicly available satellite photographs of the Palmdale facility showed that the site added two new hangars around 2009-2010 that can accommodate aircraft with a wingspan exceeding 40 meters.

Approximately the same hangar appeared at the same time at the secret US Air Force flight test airbase in Groom Lake, in the desert area of ​​Nevada, in the so-called “Area 51” (Area 51), and there it was also surrounded by an earthen embankment to hide it from prying eyes.

Finally, in 2013, Northrop Grumman financial statements indicate the launch of an unnamed aircraft into “low-rate production.” Limited production release is practiced by the US Air Force when a weapon system reaches the end of its testing and has been shown to largely meet specified requirements. Also in 2013, an anonymous source in the US Air Force told reporters that the RQ-180 could enter service in about two years, that is, in 2015.

U.S. Air Force

The RQ-180 drone is equipped with an active phased array radar, passive and active electronic warfare and electronic attack systems. This relatively recently appeared term implies not only countering air defense systems, but also disabling them. The take-off weight of the device is estimated at 14-15 tons, which almost exactly corresponds to the weight of the Russian MiG-29 fighter. According to experts, the RQ-180 can remain in the patrol zone for up to 24 hours at a distance of 2.2 thousand km from its base.

When used as part of a mixed strike air group, control of the flight of several RQ-180s can be carried out by one of the B-21 crew members, who thus becomes the air command post.

During the life cycle of the B-21 (at least 50 years), its combat capabilities will be gradually increased. In particular, it was stated that the first batches of aircraft will not be able to carry nuclear weapons, and will also not have the “optional habitation” function, that is, the ability to fly without a crew on board with remote piloting. It is believed that these functions will take an additional two to three years to develop, and they will appear on the B-21 only in the late 2020s. An important requirement in the US Air Force is the use of an “open system” architecture when creating an aircraft, which facilitates integration with new equipment and weapons that appear at subsequent stages of the life cycle.

The US Air Force plans that the first B-21 aircraft will be able to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) in the mid-2020s. Many experts have expressed doubts about this estimate, pointing out that the previous complex aircraft systems of the new generation (B-2, F-22, F-35) took about 20 years from awarding a contract to achieving IOC combat readiness. The Air Force counters these arguments by pointing out that the technology used in the B-21 is far more mature than its predecessors.

It is expected that in the 2040s, the B-21 aircraft will completely replace the subsonic strategic bombers B-52H (delivered in 1961-1962, currently 76 aircraft remain in service) and supersonic B-1B (in 1985-1988) in the US Air Force. Exactly 100 aircraft were delivered over the years; currently 63 aircraft remain in service). And by 2058, the last stealth subsonic bombers B-2A will also be removed from service (20 vehicles delivered in 1994-2000 are in service).

Many military analysts indicate that with such plans, with the purchase of only 100 new bombers, the US strategic aviation fleet will gradually decrease from the existing 159 to 120 aircraft, and then to 100 aircraft. In addition, the total delivered bomb load will decrease even more significantly due to the smaller size of the B-21 and the impressive internal ammunition storage capabilities of the B-52N (31.5 tons) and B-1B (34 tons).

This is prompting calls to plan to purchase 150-160 or even 200 B-21 bombers. However, such an increase in production volume will naturally cause a corresponding increase in financial costs for the program, which even with current forecasts are very large.

During the presentation, the military showed an image of the possible appearance of the new bomber. According to US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, the promising aircraft will be designated B-21: B - bomber, 21st - 21st century.

According to James, the military has not yet come up with a name for the future aircraft; it must be offered by members of the US Air Force. Judging by the image, the B-21 will be very similar in appearance to the B-2 bombers currently in service with the US Air Force. According to senior military analyst at Lexington University and Pentagon adviser Loren Thomson, cited by Military.com, the external similarity of the B-21 with the Spirit bomber is due to the fact that the new project actually eliminates the shortcomings of the B-2, while maintaining all its advantages.

In particular, in the project of the new bomber, Northrop Grumman is relying on stealth. According to Thomson, from some angles the B-2 was clearly visible to enemy radar; in the case of the B-21, invisibility will be complete. According to James, the design of the B-21 will be carried out within the framework of an urgent operational need program, that is, with minimal coordination of parameters with the US Congress and extra-budgetary allocation of funds.

It is assumed that promising strategic bombers will be based only in the United States. If necessary, they will be able to fly from the United States to any point in the world, drop bombs or fire missiles, and then return back to base. According to the military, the technical capabilities of the B-21 will allow the bomber to break through enemy air defense systems, as well as operate quite effectively in conditions of active opposition.

Previously, the US military stated that the B-21, starting from the first flight model, would receive the systems and software necessary to carry out nuclear strikes. Moreover, in the first few years of service, the aircraft will not be certified for the transport and use of strategic weapons and will not be included in the Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms (START-3). It is assumed that the aircraft will be larger than the carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle of the UCLASS project, but smaller than the B-2.

The bomber is being developed by the American company Northrop Grumman. According to the Pentagon, the development phase of the LRS-B project will cost the US military budget $21.4 billion in 2010 prices, or $23.5 billion in terms of the end of 2015. At this stage, the military will receive several experimental aircraft. The purchase of each new LRS-B bomber will cost no more than $511 million in 2010 prices, or $564 million in 2016 prices.

In total, the US Air Force can field from 80 to one hundred B-21 bombers.

On February 26, 2018, US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James first presented to the general public the draft of a new American “strategist” that will replace the B-2 aircraft. The new bomber was named B-21 (not B-3), the vehicle is being developed by Northrop Grumman, which created the B-2 Spirit aircraft at the end of the last century.

A competition for designs for a new bomber has been held since mid-summer 2014. On October 27, 2018, Northrop Grumman Corporation was announced as the winner. Her opponent was the tandem of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Based on the results of the competition, Northrop Grumman received an order for several series of experimental and production vehicles (21 units), its amount is estimated at $21.4 billion.

In total, the US Air Force plans to purchase 80-100 such vehicles.

This is truly a significant event. Work on the creation of the aircraft began at the beginning of the 2000s; several times this program was under threat of closure due to the cessation of funding, but now there is no longer any doubt that the American Air Force will still receive a new strategic bomber.

Previously, this promising vehicle was called LRS-B (Long Range Strike Bomber), which translates as “long-range strike bomber.” The American military hopes that the first vehicles will enter service at the beginning of the next decade.

The history of the creation of the B-21 strategic bomber

The military needed an aircraft similar to the B-2 Spirit, but with more advanced technology and, most importantly, cheaper than its predecessor. It should be recalled that the price of one B-2 Spirit bomber with equipment is $2.1 billion.

The new project was called 2018 Bomber; the military planned to see the first vehicle in the mid-1990s, and put it into service at the end of this decade. However, after a few years, the technical specifications were changed, the program was called Next-Generation Bomber (“Next Generation Bomber”), and such giants as Boeing and Lockheed Martin joined it.

In 2009, this project was closed, and a new one appeared in its place: the Long Range Strike Bomber, better known by its abbreviation LRS-B. It is believed that the new aircraft should be a transitional link to a supersonic machine, which is expected closer to 2030.

Bomber LRS-B

The B-2 Spirit is without a doubt a unique aircraft. However, any technology sooner or later becomes obsolete. In addition, the price of this aircraft is such that there is no need to talk about mass production. And the requirements that are put forward to strategic bombers today differ from the tasks that faced them during the Cold War, when the development of the B-2 began.

Today, strategic bombers can be used not only as carriers of nuclear weapons, but also for air support, as a means of delivering precision-guided munitions.

The American military wanted the new LRS-B aircraft to have higher autonomy, be able to remain on duty in a given area for a long time, be able to interact with ground troops, and be even less noticeable to enemy radars. In addition, the price of LRS-B should not exceed $550 million.

The new car is unlikely to be a qualitative leap forward (like the B-2), but, most likely, it will be much more efficient. The LRS-B will use the same technologies on which the B-2 was created. Only on a new aircraft everything must be done taking into account the latest technical achievements and experience gained during the development and operation of the B-2.

Future plans for the B-21 strategic bomber

Building the first LRS-B by 2020 is a very ambitious task; we will find out very soon whether Northrop designers can cope with it. Judging by the sketch provided to reporters by Ms. Lee James, this aircraft is very similar to its predecessor.

It is also made using stealth technology, the aerodynamic design is a flying wing. It is likely that the new car will be equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PW9000 engine, which is still being created on the basis of the F135 engine.

Other characteristics of the new car are still unknown. The B-21 will clearly have subsonic speed; the developers chose stealth as its main means of protection.

Another intrigue associated with this aircraft is the presence or absence of an unmanned version. Initially, the designers were faced with such a task, but how far they progressed towards its implementation is unknown. Most likely, we will first see a manned version of the B-21, and only then an unmanned one. Unless, of course, this program's funding is cut. We will probably see unmanned B-21s in the early thirties.

Unless, of course, the face of the war and the role of long-range bombers in it have not changed too dramatically by that time.

Video about the new B-21 bomber

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On February 26, 2016, at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James publicly demonstrated a computer image for the first time and presented the official name of one of the Pentagon's most secret projects - Northrop Grumman is developing the B-21 stealth strategic bomber, formerly known as the LRS-B (Long-Range Strike Bomber). It is expected that starting from the middle of the next decade, the B-21 will begin to complement, and later, closer to the middle of the century, will completely replace the B-52H, B-1B and B-2A strategic bombers in service with the US Air Force. Deborah Lee James explained the choice of the name B-21 by saying that the aircraft should become “the first new bomber in the 21st century.”

The LRS-B program, along with the projects of the fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) and the advanced KC-X tanker aircraft, is considered one of the three most important priorities for the future development of the US Air Force. The future bomber must successfully overcome existing and future air defense systems in any probable scenarios of military conflicts, strike at well-protected and moving targets (including sea targets), and be able to further reconnaissance targets and assess the damage caused to them.

As Ms. James said at the Orlando symposium, the B-21 “will enable the U.S. Air Force to effectively fight against the most challenging future threats and give it exceptional flexibility, providing the ability to conduct air strikes anywhere on the globe when launched from the continental United States.” It was also announced that the program has recently entered the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, and the US Air Force expects the first B-21 aircraft to reach initial operational capability (IOC) in the mid-2020s.

As you know, the contract for R&D and production of the first pilot batches (LRIP) of a promising bomber was received on October 27, 2015 by Northrop Grumman, which was also responsible for the B-2 program. The Boeing company participating in the competition filed a protest with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), which rejected it on February 16, 2016, after a detailed review of the protest within 100 days. Thus, Northrop Grumman's rights to implement a program estimated at no less than $60 billion were confirmed. And so, 10 days after the GAO decision, the Pentagon decided to make public the previously secret appearance and true name of the new bomber.

According to the image, the B-21's aerodynamic concept and layout will largely mirror the current B-2A (pictured below). Deborah Lee James explains the similarities this way: “The B-21 was designed from the very beginning to be able to use the best of existing, well-established technologies.” This should make it possible to reduce the technical risks of the program, the timing of its implementation and the cost of the aircraft. The average purchase price of one serial B-21 (excluding R&D costs), according to an independent estimate of the American government, will be $564 million, according to the Air Force - no more than $606 million. The US Air Force plans to receive a total of no more less than 100 B-21 aircraft, which will have a minimum life cycle of 50 years.

No specifications of the B-21 have been disclosed yet. According to experts, the B-21, unlike its predecessor, is made in a slightly smaller size: its wing span is estimated at 35-40 m (for the B-2 - 52.4 m), take-off weight - no more than 100 tons ( for B-2 - 152 tons, maximum - 170.6 tons). On March 7, 2016, Deborah Lee James released another piece of information about the B-21, announcing the selection of seven subcontractor companies for the program. Among the named companies is Pratt & Whitney, which, as expected by experts, will supply the power plant for the B-21. It is believed that it is being created on the basis of the F135 engine used on F-35 fighters, using the technology of a “civilian” turbofan engine of the PW1000G type (note that the B-2 used engines from a competing company General Electric - F118-GE-100).

It is expected that in the 2040s. B-21 aircraft will completely replace the subsonic strategic bombers B-52H in the US Air Force (delivered in 1961-1962, currently 77 aircraft remain in service) and supersonic B-1B (exactly 100 aircraft were delivered in 1985-1988, There are currently 60 left in service. And by 2058, the last stealth subsonic bombers B-2A will also be removed from service (20 vehicles delivered between 1994-2000 are in service).