The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is the latest bomber aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) to be shown to the public in 2022. With its "flying wing" design, it has the unique ability to be difficult to detect by radar despite its large size.
In November last year the first flight test was carried out but was not announced to the public. It wasn't until six months later that the USAF shared official images of the B-21 Raider making its first flight. The B-21 Raider is still in the testing phase to resolve operational issues and see its capabilities.
At first glance the B-21 looks just like the B-2 Spirit bomber but it is more difficult to detect by radar and is designed to operate in daylight. That's why gray is used instead of black like the B-2 and F-117.
All the bombs are stored in the belly of the plane and it can carry conventional, smart and even nuclear bombs. The USAF has a commitment to purchase at least 100 aircraft. Once operational, the B-21 Raider is expected to serve up to 30 years with a total program cost of $240 billion.
At that time it would replace the B-2 Spirit, B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress as the main bomber aircraft of the USAF.