US B-21 Raider will be rolled out on December 2

 

 Northrop Grumman says its advanced strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, will be rolled out on December 2

The US’ most advanced strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, could cut response time against China if based in the Pacific.

 The B-21, the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft, would be rolled out on December 2, its manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, announced on Thursday. It would be the first public unveiling of a new US Air Force bomber since the B-2 Spirit’s debut in 1988.

Designed to be long range, highly survivable and capable of carrying a mix of conventional and nuclear ordnance, the B-21 Raider could penetrate the toughest defences to deliver precision strikes “anywhere in the world”, according to its manufacturer.

The B-21 Raider would give the US a “formidable” combat capability and would incrementally replace the B-1 and B-2 aircraft, becoming the backbone of the US Air Force bomber fleet, the Pentagon said last week.

A report by Popular Mechanics last year said B-21 Raiders could fly under the nose of Chinese S-400 air defence systems and sow the Taiwan Strait with Quickstrike mines.

At least 100 of the bombers will enter service with the US Air Force. The B-21, along with the upgraded version of the 60-year-old B-52, would become the main US air fleets in the future. Boeing’s recently revealed updates for the B-52 include new engines and a refurbished cockpit, along with an expected greater weapons capacity for longer-range missions, although it lacks the anticipated stealth of the B-21.