Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Air Force is fully committed to the B-21 Raider, a new stealth bomber currently undergoing flight testing. The B-21 is set to replace the aging B-2 Spirit and B-1 Lancer, putting significant pressure on its success.
-Cancellation is not an option as it would compromise U.S. stealth bombing capabilities and the nuclear triad, leaving only the outdated B-52 fleet.
-The B-21 must perform as expected to maintain the strategic edge and operational readiness of the Air Force.
The US Air Force is currently flight testing their newest aircraft, the B-21 Raider, a stealth bomber capable of delivering nuclear and conventional ordnance.
The Air Force appears to be “all-in” on the B-21, opting to phase out the B-2 Spirit and the B-1 Lancer as it comes online.
The heavy commitment to a new airframe, which remains mostly untested, has raised some eyebrows and places significant pressure on the B-21 to deliver, as canceling the program doesn’t appear to be an option.
The Air Force is fully committed to the B-21. Actually, the Air Force seems to be skirting the “Fly Before You Buy” concept of aircraft procurement, in purchasing the B-21 upfront before the aircraft has been properly vetted.
“Fly Before You Buy is not a new concept,” Senator David Pryor said on the Senate floor in 1994. “It was first promoted in the wake of the Vietnam War after thousands of American soldiers lost their lives because of weapons that failed to perform as expected…operational testing is of little or no use if it conducted after the weapon system has been purchased.”
The B-21 has not been thoroughly vetted yet must work as planned because the entire structure of the Air Force is dependent upon the B-21 working.
Were the B-21 cancelled for some reason, the US could potentially lose their stealth bombing capabilities. The B-2, America’s current stealth bomber, is being replaced for a reason; that reason is because the B-2’s stealth technology is already a generation-old and not as effective as when it first debuted. Soon, if not already, the B-2’s stealth may not be sufficient at all, rendering the aircraft, functionally, a non-stealth aircraft.
Without a stealth bomber in the inventory, the US would lose a major advantage over its adversaries, who fear the capabilities of the stealth bomber fleet. The mere existence of a stealth bomber offers a diplomatic and strategic edge; the capabilities are unmatched.
And were the B-21 to be cancelled, were the US left without a stealth bomber option, their nuclear triad would be compromised. True, the US has non-stealth aircraft capable of delivering nuclear ordnance, most notably the B-52 – but the non-stealth aircraft would be incapable of entering contested airspaces, where nuclear payloads are most likely to need to be delivered. The ultimate effect would likely be that the nuclear triad were reduced to a nuclear duad, consisting of just land- and sea- based nuclear options.
If the B-21 were cancelled, the Air Force would surely want to do the cancelling before the B-2 and the B-1 were taken off-line, otherwise, the US would be stuck solely with the aged B-52 fleet as the only bomber in the entire inventory.
The B-52 debuted in the 1950s, and many of the airframes are in questionable condition; B-52 flights are often grounded for mechanical reasons, and its unlikely the fleet could handle the increased burden of being the sole bomber at the US military’s disposal.
Indeed, canceling the B-21 would cause problems for the US military. Hopefully, the new stealth bomber will perform as advertised during its initial flight testing.
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.
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