A B-2 Spirit bomber, from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., takes off for a mission during an air and space expeditionary force deployment at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Val Gempis
Patrick Tucker, Defense One: The Must-Haves of the Next Strategic Nuclear Bomber
Air Force officials opened up — just a bit — about at the thinking that’s informing the design process.
Almost nothing is known about the new bomber in development, the B-21 Raider, the most important Air Force project of the new century. But it will differ from previous bombers in one critical feature: rapid upgradability, according to Air Force Gen. Tim Ray, who leads the service’s Global Strike Command. In essence, there will be no single bomber but an ever-evolving platform that will change as technology and circumstances change as well.
So the B-21 will be modifiable in four key areas: sensors, communications, electromagnetic signature, and defensive capability, Ray said during the recent Air Force Association conference, just outside of Washington, D.C.
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WNU Editor: There are now calls for the Pentagon to buy even more bombers .... Study: Air Force Must Buy More B-21s, Postpone Legacy Bomber Retirements (National Defense).
Update: Concerns over costs are now being raised .... How does the US Air Force plan to keep bombers affordable? (Defense News)
