US unveils new generation B-21 Raider bomber

BBC reported this. 

It is known that the first new bomber in 30 years costs almost USD 700 million. It can be armed with nuclear and conventional weapons.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized that it is “a testament to America's continued superiority in ingenuity and innovation.”

The B-21 Raider was unveiled during a ceremony on Friday at the manufacturer's Northrop Grumman plant in California.

Austin also noted that this aircraft would provide significant advantages over existing bombers in the US Air Force. According to him, “even the most advanced air defense systems will have a hard time detecting the B-21 in the sky.”

“Fifty years of advances in low-level surveillance technology have gone into this aircraft,” he said.

The B-21 is expected to make its first flight next year, replacing the B-1 and B-2 models.

Six aircraft are currently in production, Northrop Grumman said, adding that it is a “next-generation stealth aircraft” that uses previously unknown “new manufacturing technologies and materials.”

The US plans to purchase at least 100 such aircraft.