Game-Changer:B-21 Raider To Break New Ground in Deep Strike

The US Air Force intends to develop a sixth generation,long-range fighter jet to escort the new B-21 Raider strategic nuclear-capable bomber deep into enemy territory.The fighter is called "Penetrating Counter-Air" and is to assist the B-21 in supression of enemy air defences.* The B-21,which has a flying wing design similar to the B-2 Spirit bomber,is a subsonic aircraft,that is,flying slower than the speed of sound (Mach 1 is the point that is just beyond the speed of sound).The speed of sound varies depending on air temperature and other atmospheric conditions.The Raider is subsonic because of its large payload capacity of a mix of nuclear and conventional ordnance.It can deliver both the B61-12 tactical nuclear weapon as well as the Long Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile.With its advanced stealth design features and NextGen radar-absorbent coatings,lead contractor Northrop Grumman considers it the most advanced military aircraft ever built.So it will be capable of penetrating the toughest defences to deliver precision strikes in Anti-Access/Area Denial zones.* Six B-21s are currently in various stages of production in Palmdale,California.One of them is scheduled for unveiling to an invited audience in early December 2022,with first flight in early 2023.The Air Force Global Strike Command plans to acquire at least 100 B-21s,though the number may eventually reach about 200.Initial Operating Capability should come in the mid-2020s.Ellsworth Air Force Base,South Dakota is the preferred basing location for the first B-21 main operating base and formal training unit,with Dyess AFB,Texas as an alternate.The Air Force plans to retire the B-2 Spirit and B-1B Lancer bombers first as the B-21 comes online,with the B-52H Stratofortress remaining in service alongside the B-21 till mid-century.* Advanced software development techniques called DevStar will enable the upgrading of the Raider at the speed of relevance,incrementally adding warfighting capablities as opposed to the current massive Block approach.The B-21 will be able to rapidly field capability enhancements to both hardware and software,with enough processing power to quickly process information from onboard sensors and external sources for threat detection.Digital design and engineering make it possible to incrementally improve B-21 characteristics on a continuous basis.Suffice it to say,it is like nothing else ever seen before on the flight line. For example,the Raider will have minimum aircraft signatures in multiple frequency bands.* Subcontractors of the B-21 include Pratt and Whitney (Raytheon Technologies subsidiary);BAE Systems;Collins Aerospace (Raytheon Technologies subsidiary) and Spirit AeroSystems.* BAE Systems ADR (OTC:BAESY),Northrop Grumman (NOC),Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX),Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc (SPR)