Steve Balestrieri – Business Insider March 2, 2020
- The Air Force has decided on its bombers of the future: the new B-21 Raiders and the venerable B-52 Stratofortress.
- The service plans to move away from the relatively new B-1 and B-2 bombers, keeping the B-52, which is older than the pilots who fly it, and acquiring the B-21, the maiden flight of which is slated for October.
The Air Force’s future is both moving forward and tied to the past. The bombers of the future have already been decided: They are the B-21 Raider, which is currently under development, and the venerable B-52 Stratofortress, a holdover from the Cold War, the airframes of which are older than the pilots flying them.
The plan is already in place, Lt. Gen. David Nahom, deputy chief of staff for Plans and Programs, told members of Congress on Thursday. The funding request is part of the Air Force’s plan to modernize its bomber fleet and prepare for the changing needs of national security, mainly conflict with near-peer adversaries.
LTG Nahom said that the Air Force’s shift to preparing for a conflict with a near-peer nation, such as China or Russia, is the driving force behind having a two-bomber fleet.
Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee, he said: “On the bomber fleet, there’s nothing more important to the Air Force. If you look at what the bombers bring, no one else brings it. Our joint partners don’t bring it, our coalition partners don’t bring it.”
One of the questions that lawmakers asked was why the Air Force was planning on moving away from the much newer designs of the B-1 and B-2 bombers and keeping such an old airframe as the B-52.
B-52. Click to enlarge
Nahom explained that although many of the B-52s are much older in years, the flying hours on the B-52s are much lower as they frequently sat fully loaded on a tarmac, waiting for an alert or a call to go to war.
The plan is to upgrade the B-52s, replacing their engines, adding new and improved radar capability as well as other new technologies. Gen. Nahom said the Air Force would be able to do things with the existing B-52s that they wouldn’t be able to do with a B-1 or a B-2.
In mid-March last year, the Air Force decided that Ellsworth Air Force Base will be the home for the first two B-21 Raider squadrons. One squadron will be used for training and the other will be operational. The B-21s are slated to be operational by the mid-2020s, but no later than 2025.
The B-21 heavy bomber is being manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It is part of the Long-Range Strike Bomber program (LRS-B) and projected to be a long-range, stealth strategic bomber for the United States Air Force capable of delivering conventional and thermonuclear weapons for the next few decades. The Air Force plans on procuring 100 of them. Each one will cost an estimated $550 million.
An artists impression of the B-21 Raider. Click to enlarge
The B-21 was formally named “Raider” in honor of the Doolittle Raiders. (The final remaining survivor of the Doolittle Raid of World War II, LTC Richard E. Cole retired, was present at the naming ceremony.) The “21” in the name refers to the bomber being the Air Force’s bomber for the 21st century.
If all goes well the Air Force’s plan is to retire their 1980s-vintage B-1 bombers in the early 2030s and then a few years later, to retire all of the ’90s-vintage B-2 stealth bombers.
The B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit will remain part of the fleet but the OPTEMPO for the use of the B-1 fleet has left it pretty much broken down due to overuse in the endless wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
Last year, only six of the Air Force’s B-1 fleet were fully mission-capable. That is a huge dropoff from the nearly 52% mission-capable rate for the B-1s during 2018.
Under the Air Force’s FY2021 budget, they propose cutting 17 B-1s, thus removing the most worn-out aircraft in the inventory. It is believed that the Air Force will be able to maintain the fleet of B-1s flying until the B-21 is ready to take over and becomes operational. The B-21 Raider is slated to make its maiden flight in October of this year.
The only moral use of B-52s is to put them over Israel, and bomb the Jewish only state out of existence, freeing the Palestinians and the Amerikans alike. Amerika is the WHORE of Israel and the soulution to regaining independence is to put the Kosher Nostra Israel crime gang permanently out of business.
This will happen, it is only a matter of time and we need a Doolittle like raid of some brave airman and start dropping belly fulls of 500 lb Mark 82s on Israel. Israel is pure evil and the United States needs to regain its moral composure and punish Israel for 911. Israel did 911 and everyone knows it, but because of the Jewish controlled media no one talks about it. Pathetic.
Literally, the B21 has cutting edges. But how about the technology, is it like that of the other flying duck?
The US military-industrial complex heading down the rabbit hole of doom. The Russians have radar that can see these stealth planes and the Russians have probably given this tech to the Chinese.
What a wonderful planet we could have, if these insanenicks beat their swords into ploughshares. Trillions of wasted resources, when the deserts could be made to bloom, poverty eradicated, clean water and sanitation for all, an education leading to a sustainable lifestyle model, technology for the benefit of all. The list is endless. 7 billion ruled by a handful of evil people. It defies logic. My money is on God’s intervention. The only thing that makes sense. Meanwhile let the arms race continue.
@Larry
Your expression is also mine. I believe only a government by God can achieve it as Man is too selfish to achieve unity in righteousness. This is what we pray for in the model prayer, let your will be done on earth as in heaven.
The Russians would not have given that technology to the Chinese. No ,that technology would have been SOLD to the Chinese by Israel.
LGT Noham wasn’t lying, they sure do bring it like no other. Thing is will they be able to take it.