On Friday in California, the United States presented to the public for the first time the latest radar-invisible nuclear bomber, the B-21 Raider, which is the first new American aircraft of its kind in 30 years. It will also be able to fly without a crew. The project has been secretly developed since 2015.
The aircraft was unveiled at the US Army Air Force Plant in Palmdale. First, three old B-52 bombers, a B1 and a B-2, made the flyover, and then the hangar doors opened and a B-21 was brought out.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin he said that this is not just another plane, but the embodiment of American determination to defend the country that everyone loves.
The new bomber is part of a broader effort by the US Department of Defense to modernize their nuclear arsenal. They also restore missile silos for ballistic nuclear missiles, submarines and aircraft.
Indeed, the USA is increasingly focusing on the growing threat, as they understand it, of China, which is also rapidly modernizing its armaments. China will soon have 1,500 nuclear bombs, and has made advances in supersonic aircraft, cyber warfare, and space exploration.
The B-21 was supposed to be similar to the B-2 on the outside, but everything was different on the inside, especially with regard to the computer control system. The plane is coated with a special substance, thanks to which it is supposed to be even more invisible to radars than usual.
The new aircraft is manufactured by Northrop Gruman, and Secretary Austin said it incorporates 50 years of technological progress. To begin with, six of them were to be produced, and later a total of around one hundred.
All will be able to carry either nuclear or conventional bombs and fly with or without a pilot.
A spokesman for the manufacturer Northrop Grumman said that one plane costs 700 million dollars, which means that the American taxpayers will pay at least 70 billion dollars for 100 planes.
The company announced that the first flight is scheduled for next year.
According to Al Jazeera, Russia and China are also developing strategic stealth bombers. China is developing the Shian H-20 aircraft, and Russia is developing the Tupolev PAK DA, which will also be able to carry nuclear bombs. Both were said to be rivals to the American B-21.
Source: Rtvslo
