Monday, December 10, 2018

200 New B-21 Stealth Bombers For The U.S. Air Force?

An artist rendering shows the first image of a new Northrop Grumman Corp long-range bomber B21 in this image released on February 26, 2016. REUTERS/U.S. AIR FORCE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

David Axe, National Interest: Could the Air Force End Up with 200 New B-21 Stealth Bombers?

It could happen. Here's how.

The U.S. Air Force is getting bases ready for its new B-21 Raider stealth bomber. But it’s still unclear how many B-21s the flying branch might buy.

The Air Force selected Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma as the primary maintenance facility for the new bomber, the service announced on November 16, 2018.

Robins Air Force Base in Georgia and Utah’s Hill Air Force Base will support the stealth bomber work at Tinker, the Air Force stated. Edwards Air Force Base in California will host the B-21 test force, the Air Force revealed in the same announcement.

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WNU Editor:  The B-52 cannot fly forever. Something has to replace these old bombers.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The problem I see coming up is that the B-21 doesn't have the capability to carry the largest/heaviest weapons in our inventory.

The sore thumb in particular is the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). i.e, The only non-nuclear bunker-buster that can take out the most hardened of bunkers. It can only really be carried by the B-2.


The so called "Next Generation Penetrator" that was going to be built for the B-21 is effectively a design paper in someone's desk.



As for replacing the B-52. Let me point out that there is a reason they have been flying for so long. They are cheap and efficient. Stealth is neither cheap or efficient.