The B-21’s internal operations are extremely advanced compared to the B-2. The B-21 is smaller and more stealthy than the B-2, with a longer range. The first B-21s are not prototypes but rather test aircraft that the Air Force will convert to operational configuration after the completion of tests.
The B-2 bombers are about thirty years old and the stealth materials have greatly improved.
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Because Trump would surrender to the Chinese, or anyone else he figures doing so would be to his own PERSONAL advantage.
Let’s hope Trump is elected before WW3 begins, and these never have to penetrate Chinese airspace.
Because Trump would surrender to the Chinese, or anyone else he figures doing so would be to his own PERSONAL advantage.
I want them to build enough bombers to retire all the others eventually.
There isn’t any buzz about it but StarShip makes a much better delivery system for pretty much anything than a long range bomber or aircraft carrier & fighters.
A B21 can overfly territory by stealth but a Starship can do it in orbit. Starship will cost less than a tenth as much, carry 5X the payload, cost less to operate, not put pilots at risk and be anywhere in the world in a hour. It’s delivery starts way above hypersonic speeds so hypersonic missiles or kinetic weapons are a natural fit.
Starship can be like Rapid dragon from orbit, carrying missiles, drones, mines, torpedos, cargo – to deploy via RV modules.
The B21 is a very impressive buggy whip. We don’t need a penetrating bomber and have not used such platforms in that role since the first reduced signature B1’s came into the inventory. As unmanned missiles become increasingly capable, some hypersonic, the strategic bomber has no role anymore that it can do uniquely including being recallable.
You need the bomber to launch the missiles on range
The fundamental issue with hypersonics when dealing with a large nation such as China, is if you’re not hitting the peripherals of their territory, it’s really obvious they’re coming. They’re not some be-all-and-end-all of weapons technology, they actually move much slower than an ICBM. Because they do this through the atmosphere, they throw off an enormous heat signature that is plainly visible to satellites, and the sonic boom is visible on seismometer networks.
They beat cruise missiles purely on speed, and they have their role in the replacement of regular cruise missiles in the future (if they can compete on price), but they won’t touch a stealth bomber’s ability to drop a payload without the opponent seeing it coming. That’s the real difference. Reduced warning time vs. no warning at all.
And don’t say anything about them being hard to shoot down. If you’re the target, you’re in front of them. No catching up necessary.
The manned bomber remains a formidable weapon due to it’s flexibility of mission, and adaptability on a mission. Missiles, or hypersonic anything have no such flexibility. You mention “one advantage” of manned bombers is the ability to be recalled. This is SO VERY important. Our nuclear missiles (land and sea based) CAN NOT be recalled, or blown-up by some “self-destruct” code we could send them. Why? Because an enemy might learn what that is, and render our nuclear forces null.
An advanced manned bomber has multiple potential “job descriptions”. Nuclear weapons, are a small (hopefully over time, unimportant) description of what this kind of weapons systems can do.
I’d like to add a point when we thought certain weapons technologies we thought were “obsolete”. In the 1950’s when we came up with the first air-to-air missiles, guess what? We thought our fighters no longer needed cannons, we’d just “missile them to death” Um, no, that’s not how reality hit us in the face. Our early missiles were not very accurate. (to be polite). But we quickly improved the technology of both our IR (infra-red) (Sidewinder) and radar guided (Standard, etc) missiles. But in Vietnam, our enemy new of the weakness of our wonderful missiles.
They quickly learned, our missiles took a certain amount of time and distance to “arm” themselves. The NVA learned if they got up close and personal as quickly as possible, our fighters could do nothing. Talk about a major F****** OOps… For any one who thinks bombers are obsolete? I pray for the day all weapons are obsolete. That’s just not, today. Deal with it.