US Reveals Game-Changer Bomber After 30 Years in the Shadows

China’s Military Challenge to the U.S.
U.S. Military Responds with Corresponding Budget Adjustments
Unveiling Next-Generation Stealth Bomber as First Response

As a new Cold War atmosphere sweeps the world with countries bolstering their military power, observers are increasingly concerned about China’s commitment to ‘military flexing’ to catch up with the U.S. According to the ‘2022 China Military Power Report’ submitted to Congress by the U.S. Department of Defense last month, the number of nuclear warheads possessed by the People’s Liberation Army of China has exceeded 400, and if this trend continues, it is predicted that the number will reach about 1,500 by 2035.

In response, voices within the U.S. have consistently advocated for countering China’s coercive power. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated, “We are adjusting our budget in response to China’s challenge unlike before, and deterrence in an imperfect world comes from strength.” As part of this process, the U.S. Air Force unveiled its next-generation stealth strategic bomber to the public on the 2nd, for the first time in over 30 years.

Finally Unveiled: B-21 Raider
Strict Control Over Public Presentation

On the 2nd, local time, the U.S. Air Force unveiled the ‘B-21 Raider,’ a new stealth strategic bomber, at the Northrop Grumman factory in Palmdale, California. As a new aircraft was unveiled for the first time in over 30 years since the B-2 Spirit in 1989, the world’s attention was focused, and only about 600 people, including members of Congress, defense officials, and the media, who passed strict security checks, were allowed to attend the unveiling event.

All attendees at the event had to surrender their cell phones and observe the B-21 from at least 75 feet away. The B-21, which revealed its appearance about seven years after the start of the development program, was partially exposed as if conscious of enemy surveillance satellites, and essential parts such as sensors and propulsion systems were hidden under the hangar.

First Appearance of 6th Generation Aircraft
“Dominance Will Continue for Decades”

The Wall Street Journal and AP News evaluated the world’s first-6th-generation aircraft as “a response from the U.S. Department of Defense to counter China’s expanding nuclear power.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized at the commemorative event that “The superiority of the B-21 will continue for decades to come” and “No other bomber can compete with the B-21.”

The ‘Doolittle Raiders,’ who bombed the Japanese mainland in 1942, inspired the name of the B-21 Raider, which can operate nuclear weapons like existing bombers and is likely to exert global influence. With its superior stealth performance, the B-21 is expected to conduct solo operations easily. If radar detection compares the B-2 to the size of a small bird, then experts recognize the B-21 as having a detectable area about the size of a golf ball.

Significantly Lower Costs than B-2
Likely to Increase Deployment for Extended Deterrence

Although the B-21 shares the flying wing shape with the B-2, it features a smaller engine, and experts expect its bomb load and flight distance to decrease. However, this has significantly reduced the production cost to $700 million, compared to the B-2, which was about $1 billion. As early as 2026, they plan to produce and operate 100 units.

In addition, the B-2 Spirit required storage in a dedicated hangar with heating and cooling to maintain its stealth paint, incurring significant costs. At the same time, related technology allows storing the B-21 in a regular hangar. The B-21 can upgrade weapons without separate measures through online updates and simultaneously conduct unmanned control and learning through cloud computing and its own data and sensor integration technology.

“B-21 is Just a Paper Airplane”
Criticism Continues from Chinese Media

Upon the U.S. unveiling of the B-21, Chinese media responded cautiously. In an editorial, the Global Times, an organ of the Chinese Communist Party, claimed that the U.S. military-industrial complex created the ‘China Threat Theory’ and produced the B-21 as an important link in continuing such interests. Furthermore, they warned, “Dreaming of threatening China is in vain. The B-21 will become a paper airplane that folds easily in front of the iron wall of the firm will of 1.4 billion people.”

There are voices within China that they should hurry to launch the H-20, China’s next-generation stealth bomber, in response to the B-21. Last month, officials from the People’s Liberation Army of China told the media that the deployment of the H-20 bomber is imminent. The H-20 is an aircraft with a flying wing shape, which has raised suspicions of imitating the B-2.

“Release the Astronauts”

Experts expect the B-21, equipped with advanced data operation technology, flight capability, and nuclear strike ability, to perform multi-role missions, including bomber missions, early warning aircraft operations, and interceptor missions. The fact that an aircraft, which is difficult to detect even by sophisticated air defense systems, can mainly perform missions on its own without escorts or pilots makes it difficult to gauge its power.