The US has a weapon system that can strike any
target with almost any weapon anywhere in the world without being detected by even the
best radar systems. The vaunted B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. But despite over thirty years
of battle-proven service, the B-2 will not be flying forever. Because of this, the US has been
developing its eventual replacement for almost a decade. That replacement, known as the B-21
Raider, will eventually become the Air Force's premier ultra-long-range strike capability. But
how exactly do they stack up against one another? Before delving into the nitty gritty of the
capabilities and limitations of each platform, it’s essential to understand their role
and why such technology is more important in modern air spaces now than ever before. One of
the main reasons for this is the proliferation of ground-based air defense systems. These systems
are so common nowadays because purchasing and training personnel for air defense systems is a
fraction of what it costs to purchase aircraft and train pilots. Because of this, pilots
and defense industrial bases have played a cat-and-mouse game against these air defense
systems with varying tactics and countermeasures to defeat them. However, the US decided to
just avoid that problem altogether. But how? The US solution to this problem was the B-2
bomber. Though the US had several earlier attempts at stealth aircraft like the A-12 and SR-71, these
were reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, and though they were stealthy, they were not
quite invisible. The US wanted to make not only an aircraft that would be totally invisible
to any current or future air defense system but could strike any target with any weapon
anywhere around the globe. Because of this, the military decided that the aircraft
should be able to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. Hence, the B-2 was born.
But after serving for over thirty years, the B-2 is getting ready for retirement. Wanting to keep
the same dual-purpose aircraft capable of striking any target, the Air Force began developing its
replacement around 2015. Known as the B-21 Raider, this aircraft will fill the same role as the
B-2. However, it’s expected that the B-21 will host a slew of new top-secret technologies
and weapon systems with unknown capabilities. So, with that being said, let’s dive into
some direct comparisons between the two. Starting with the basics, let’s
compare the data regarding size, weight, service ceiling, and other core
aircraft capabilities. Between the two, the B-2 is going to be the larger
aircraft. With a height of 17 feet, a length of 69 feet, and a wingspan of 172 feet,
this OG stealth bomber is larger than its eventual replacement. While official confirmation on the
dimensions of the B-21 has yet to be published, there is a good amount of open-source data
available to infer how big it will be. The best answer comes from analyzing a temporary
shelter built for the aircraft back in 2021 at Ellsworth Air Base in South Dakota. From pictures
provided by the Air Force, aircraft enthusiasts were able to deduce the size of the hangar because
of a pickup truck parked alongside it. Using estimates of the truck's size, these internet
sleuths could calculate the approximate length and width of the hangar. Using these calculations, the
prototype shelter for the B-21 means that the B-21 would have a wingspan of no more than 140 feet and
an overall length of no greater than 50 feet. Such an educated guess was confirmed by an official
Air Force report that the B-21 will continue to use the same maintenance shelters as the B-2 has
used, meaning that at a maximum, it will be no larger than it to fit underneath these facilities.
As far as performance characteristics such as service ceiling, speed, weight, and operational
distance, we don’t know much about the B-21, but some inferences can be made with publicly
available B-2 data. The B-2 is powered by four General Electric F118-GE-100 turbofan engines
that can propel the bomber at a max speed of around 626 miles per hour. That max speed is
just below the sound barrier of approximately 761 miles per hour, but this was intentional
since the design team did not want the plane to break the sound barrier since many factors
involved with these, like afterburners, heat, and vapor trails, are much harder to mask.
The B-21 will be powered by two turbofan engines instead of four, and these will instead
be produced by Pratt and Whitney, the same company that makes engines for the F-35. It’s unknown
whether the B-21 will be faster than the B-2, but if it is, it cannot be much faster since the
B-2's max speed is just below the sound barrier, and it is unlikely that engineers have conquered
the challenges associated with keeping stealth bombers stealthy at supersonic speeds. Because of
this, current estimates place the B-21's max speed at just under the B-2's at 621 miles per hour.
But while there may not be much difference in speed, there is expected to be a huge difference
in payload and weight. As it sits now, the B-2 unloaded weighs 125,000 pounds. With
its max allowable ordnance and fuel load, it can safely take off at just over 370,000
pounds. Of this weight, the B-2 can carry 60,000 pounds of munitions. This starkly
contrasts with the B-21, which can hold just under 30,000 pounds of ordnance.
This difference comes about due to the Air Force’s goal of increasing the range of the
aircraft. With just under half a load of bombs, the B-2 can travel an impressive 6600 nautical
miles without refueling. By doubling that load out to about 37,000 pounds, the unrefueled
distance drops to 4400 nautical miles. However, with one refueling, the operational range can be
extended to a mind-boggling 10800 nautical miles. So even though the B-2 has a very impressive
range, it’s likely the Air Force is limiting the munitions the B-21 can carry because it
wants the aircraft to be able to reach any target in the world without a single refueling.
This is because, in a worst-case scenario where a nuclear Armageddon is happening, a tanker
may not be available to top off the bomber's gas tanks. By limiting the payload, the aircraft
can probably carry more gas and achieve further operational ranges than before.
As far as the service ceiling, the new aircraft is likely to be able
to fly higher than the B-2. Right now, the maximum service ceiling of the B-2 is 50,000
feet. Although the US government has not publicly admitted they want to increase the ceiling, with
advances in ground-based air defense radar systems being able to see higher than ever before, it
is likely that the B-21 will need to operate at higher altitudes to stay one step ahead of air
defense system developments and remain unseen no matter what advances US adversaries make.
With the basic data comparisons down, the next aspect to look at is what makes a
stealth bomber stealthy. As one can imagine, the US military has been very tight-lipped
about what advances have been made in designing the B-21, but once again, some good guesses
can be made from what we know about the B-2. One of the first things that one will notice
about the B-2 is its unusual shape, and all of that was on purpose. Because ground-based air
defense systems and other aircraft use RADAR as the primary means to detect incoming threats,
the B-2 was designed to reflect or absorb as much RADAR radiation as possible. The iconic W-shaped
wings are meant to scatter incoming radiation energy. That way, even if an enemy RADAR site
manages to direct energy towards the aircraft, the RADAR return will never make it back to the
site, making it appear like there’s nothing there. Additionally, few parts of the aircraft have some
type of edge on it. Because flat surfaces reflect RADAR energy much easier than a rolled surface,
the B-2 only has straight edges on a few systems, such as the landing gear. However, these
systems are fully encapsulated by the time the plane reaches its cruising speed. Another
exception would be the bomb bay doors. Of course, these doors are shut when in flight and only
swing open when releasing ordnance. Once the payload has been delivered, the doors close and
become flush with the aircraft’s body again. But beyond the scattering of incoming energy,
the aircraft has a host of other features that make it unique among military planes.
Chief among these is its basic construction. Unlike most other aircraft, the B-2 has very
little steel in its construction. In fact, the body and all its components are comprised
of over 200 different metals and alloys. For example, the body of the aircraft is comprised
of about 80% composite materials built on a titanium and aluminum substructure. The bulk of
the composite materials are made up of carbon, graphite, and glass fibers held together
with plastic polymers. This very strong and durable material is then placed into molds
for each part of the aircraft. Inside the mold, contractors heat the part to over 350 degrees
Fahrenheit and at pressures greater than 100 PSI. Once completed, the part is now much stronger
than steel at just a fraction of the weight. Because the B-2 is made up of mostly composite
materials, it’s incredibly flexible and can be seen bending and flexing in flight yet
never suffered damage. However, another factor that hides the aircraft is its paint.
The exact paint mixture that covers the aircraft is highly classified, and no one knows what it is
comprised of. However, it’s known that the paint has several components that must be mixed on-site
at maintenance hangars. This is probably a way to protect the actual formula used for it since
there is no one company that makes every part of the paint. But regardless of its composition,
its main purpose is to absorb RADAR radiation. And as for the aircraft's distinctive color, it
was implemented due to the extreme altitudes the plane operates in, painting it black makes it
blend in well with its surrounding environment. But the stealth features are not just on the
outside of the aircraft; they are inside as well. One of the main problems that engineers had to
solve was how to prevent heat build-up around the aircraft's engine inlets and exhausts to prevent
detection via infrared or heat-seeking means. A serpentine S-structured inlet was built to solve
the issue with the inlets. Because of this, the actual engine blades are about one engine diameter
below the actual inlet. The end result is that the heat from the engine is unable to be detected.
But solving the heat that came out from the exhausts was a different problem. Because
the air that goes through the engine is going to be so much hotter than the surrounding
environment, a very easily identifiable heat trail would be left in the sky. To solve this problem,
the design team got pretty creative. The designers built a system that mixes the heated exhaust
air with the freezing ambient air to lower the heat signature of the exhausts to basically
the environment’s ambient temperature. And just to make sure there is no vapor trail, the
team also created a special system that injects a special chloroflorosulfuric acid mixture
into the exhaust plume just for good measure. Though the Air Force has not commented on what
would make the B-21 different in regard to stealth technology, it’s still unknown that changes, if
any, would be made. Perhaps the Air Force created a better radar absorbent paint? Maybe the B-21
has new composite materials that are stronger, lighter, or cheaper to produce than before. Both
of these are likely since Air Force officials have made bringing down maintenance costs to a
minimum a priority, and both of these stealth components feature heavily in that calculation.
Despite not knowing too much about the new developments the B-21 would have regarding stealth
technology, there is a lot of public information about the weapons both aircraft can carry.
Starting with the B-2, it can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons. As far as nuclear
weapons, the B-2 carries two primary types. The first of these is the B61 nuclear bomb.
First entering service in the early 1960s, the B61 was meant to be a versatile bomb
meant to replace various nuclear weapons by putting their functionalities into one
bomb that was compact, easily modified, and cheap to produce. Because of these features,
almost four thousand were eventually produced, with over 500 still in service today. These
weapons are all variable yields that can be dialed in for the specific target. The yield
ranges from as little as 0.3 kilotons to up to 400 kilotons for the strategic models.
The other nuclear weapon the B-2 can carry is the B83 nuclear bomb. As the name suggests,
the weapon entered US inventories in 1983 as a strategic nuclear weapon. Hosting a massive 1.2
Megaton yield, these bombs are also considered earth-penetrating weapons and are basically
nuclear bunker busters. This means that, like conventional bunker busters used to take
out hardened command posts, aircraft shelters, and other priority targets, nuclear bunker busters
are meant to defeat even the most hardened nuclear weapon shelters. All told, the B-2 can carry
up to 16 of these city-destroying weapons. In regards to its conventional ordnance
payloads, it can carry an even more dizzying array of weapons. Among its most common are Joint
Directed Attack Munitions or JDAMS for short. JDAMS themselves are not a munition but rather
kits that can be attached to “dumb” ordnance to make them precision, GPS-guided weapons. The most
common weapon system these are attached to are 500-pound bombs. Using these, a B-2 can deliver a
devastating 80 bombs on top of any target without the enemy ever knowing they were even there.
But if you thought that was powerful, the B-2 can deliver a weapon even more devastating than
80 GPS-guided bombs. Known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, this huge 30,000-pound
bomb is six times larger than the standard bunker-buster bomb. With only around 20 of these
massive bombs in Air Force stocks, this bomb was specially designed and produced to be fielded by
the B-2. The purpose of this bomb was to destroy any adversaries' nuclear weapons without having
to resort to a nuclear strike like using the B83. Though dropping massive munitions and
precision-guided weapons is one part of the core competencies of the B-2, another one is conducting
long-range, stand-off fires. One of the first weapon systems designed for this purpose utilized
by the B-2 is the AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missile. As mentioned previously, ground-based
air defense systems make the skies over enemy territory quite dangerous, but this has been the
case for decades. In the 1960s, the US sought a way to combine a decoy with a strike capability
that could be fired outside Soviet airspace. After several trial programs and adjusting
operational goals for the projects, the end result was the AGM-86. The purpose of
the missile is to make it look like an obvious decoy is making its way into enemy territory so
air defense systems do not pay much attention to it. But that is exactly what US planners
wanted since when the enemy thinks they are just following a harmless RADAR contact, the decoy
will suddenly shift course and strike a target with either a conventional or nuclear warhead.
However, the AGM-86 is one of many long-range weapons the B-2 can carry. Known as the AGM-158
Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile or JASSM, the missile satisfies the requirement of
an ultra-long-range cruise missile meant for conventional targets. Able to be carried
on almost every type of fighter and bomber aircraft in the US inventory, the missile
itself is not unique to the B-2 program like the Massive Ordnance Penetrator is. Instead,
the weapon gives the B-2 an extended-range weapon with a publicly admitted range of
370 kilometers, which is likely far greater. And if you thought the B-2 could just strike
targets on the ground, then you might have to think again. On top of the huge loadouts
of nuclear bombs, bunker-busting ordnance, and precision munitions, the B-2 can also
attack ships. The tool it uses for this is the JASSM-Extended Range. Working throughout the 2000s
to increase the range of the already deadly JASSM, the ER variant pushes the range to an eye-popping
575 kilometers. With such a long-range, the Air Force has been eyeing this weapon to enable the
B-2 to bring its weapons to bear in the sea domain too. Such a move is definitely on the table,
considering how the Air Force has armed B-52s with anti-ship Harpoon missiles, and this only
represents the latest development in that space. Speaking of the latest developments, the B-21
is also expected to field these weapons and several new ones. Among these is a dedicated
anti-ship missile known as the AGM-158C LRASM, which stands for Long Range Anti-Ship Missile.
A brainchild created by a collaboration between the Navy and the Air Force, this weapon
system was first imagined in the early 2010s as an eventual replacement for
the aging and outdated Harpoon missile. Building upon the principles of the iconic
Harpoon, the AGM-158C is even deadlier as it can seek targets further away, has improved
datalinks that are faster and more secure, and has a better engine to give it increased
range over the Harpoon. So far, the weapon has been integrated into the B-1 bomber and is
expected to form a core part of the B-21's inventory to give it a maritime strike capability.
Another new weapon the B-21 will field is the AGM-181 Long Range Stand-Off Weapon. This new
missile replaces the aging AGM-86 that the B-2 currently carries. The Air Force has already
stated that the LRSO will be nuclear armed with a W80 low-yield warhead. Other weapons,
like the JASSM-ER, will continue to fill the conventional role of extended strike systems.
But even though there is a dizzying array of weapons onboard both the B-2 and B-21, none of
these weapons mean much if there is no robust combat systems suite on board each aircraft.
Between the various avionics, RADARS, software, and communications equipment on board, both the
B-2 and B-21 are among the most sophisticated and self-reliant aircraft the US has ever built.
Starting with the B-2, the aircraft hosts a wide range of advanced electronics and
combat systems equipment. While much of what the plane carries is inevitably highly
classified, there is enough information publicly available information to build up a
picture of what the aircraft is capable of. For the basic systems onboard, the B-2 utilizes an
incredibly fast fly-by-wire system. Essentially, the pilot gives the orders he or she wants, and
the orders are converted to electrical signals that go to the various parts of the aircraft
controlling safe flight in a closed-loop feedback system. While not extraordinary today,
at the time the B-2 was being developed, this was a revolutionary technology.
Another technology that today is more common but during development was unusual is
satellite communications or SATCOM. SATCOM is a way for ships and aircraft to communicate with
satellites via secure data links. This is such a huge deal because the communication ranges
can be much greater. If a plane had to rely on communicating with a ground tower, the range would
be quite limited based on the tower's height, atmospheric conditions, and other factors
outside the pilots' control. Obviously, as the B-2 operates at such extreme ranges, this would
have severely limited its operational capability. This leap in technology allows satellites to
act like radio towers and can securely send information to anyone with secure datalinks.
Because of this, the B-2 can communicate with practically anyone in the world at any time.
Beyond its flight control systems and communications suite, the B-2 has an ace up its
sleeve regarding combat systems. That ace is the AN/APQ-181 phased array RADAR. The RADAR forms the
core capability for both the B-2's navigation and targeting systems. As for navigation, the RADAR
allows the aircraft to operate in a GPS-denied environment. The RADAR and its corresponding
software programs essentially allow the aircraft to travel without outside input with pinpoint
accuracy because of its various operating modes that include precision position and velocity
updates. In addition to these features, the RADAR has features that allow it to
use organically generated pictures of the terrain below the aircraft and man-made
features like towers that can be passed on to the pilots to allow for safe navigation.
But when the B-2 needs to transition to the targeting phase of a mission, the pilots can
switch the RADAR to operate as a synthetic aperture radar or SAR. When operating in the SAR
mode, the RADAR can take topographic photos of the ground below. These photos are of map quality
and are consistent no matter the altitude of the aircraft. These photos are of such high
quality that they can be used to identify targets and are also used for battle damage
assessment once the payload has been deployed. Another newer addition to the combat suite for
the B-2 that the B-21 will certainly have is the Radar Aided Targeting System or RATS. While the
B-2 has been able to deploy conventional ordnance in GPS-denied environments for a long time, it
has been thought that deploying a nuclear weapon without GPS was too risky, considering what would
be at stake if a bomb missed its target. While certainly, the National Command Authority could
have ordered a strike in a GPS-denied environment; this new software program gives B-2 crews the
certainty they need that the onboard systems can now, without a doubt, deploy nuclear
weapons with the exact same precision as conventional weapons without the need for GPS.
While the sensors, combat suites, and avionics for the B-21 are still highly classified and
probably will be for the foreseeable future, the B-21 is expected to keep many of these
legacy systems that are still viable. However, one major difference between the two is that
the Air Force has stated that the B-21 can conduct both manned and unmanned operations.
Just exactly what kind of unmanned missions the Air Force intends to send the B-21 on is
unknown at this time. Would the US send a fully autonomous, nuclear-armed bomber to carry
on the nation’s nuclear tasking? Perhaps, and here’s why. Stealth bomber pilots are very
hard to come by. Between the years of training and strict standards, there are only about 80
B-2 pilots at any one time. Because of this, if a country attacked the US and somehow
managed to knock out these pilots on the ground, the US’ ultimate survival weapon would be toast.
But, of course, this is just speculation. Just how "unmanned" the B-21 will be and what that would
look like is anyone's guess at this point in time. Despite not knowing much about the
B-21’s unmanned systems, there is a lot of public information about the cost and
production of both of these fearsome aircraft. The premise for the B-2 began in the late 1970s
when the military sent some classified feelers out to the defense industry about the feasibility of
such a project. Once the project began to expand, by 1980, it was too big to keep a secret,
and the US was forced to disclose for the first time that the military indeed
had such an aircraft in development. Once the proverbial cat was out of the bag, there
was much debate in the public space and Congress over the need and cost of the aircraft. During
the 1980s, the US Air Force proposed acquiring 133 B-2s, including one prototype test
plane. The program was expected to cost around 35 to 40 billion dollars over a five-year
production run; the plane's defenders justified the huge price tag as the ultimate weapon that
could penetrate Soviet airspace with ease, no matter the situation. So even though many of the
plane's detractors thought the price was too high, they continued to support it for this reason.
That was until the USSR collapsed in 1991. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the US
suddenly had no one to challenge it. As a result, military spending was slashed across the board,
and the US military conducted one of the largest drawdowns in forces of the 20th century. While
Congressional officials were busy slashing budgets, military officials were fighting to
save their pet projects, chief among them was the B-2 bomber. Because of huge spending cuts
and a less urgent need for such a superweapon, the Air Force compromised on getting just 75 B-2s.
But even that was not enough of a cut. As the B-2 entered production, many wrinkles had to be worked
out in its design and part production. Throughout the 90s, debate raged in Congress over the
huge costs, both in production and maintenance, of the B-2. Eventually, when the price tag reached
a whopping 2.1 billion dollars back in 1997, Congress had enough and slashed further funding
for the project. The Air Force would have to make do with what it had, and all told, a total of
21 B-2 bombers were delivered to the Air Force, with 20 still serving today after
1 B-2 was lost in an accident. As for the B-21 Raider, its inception came around
2009 when the Air Force first started asking for help endorsing a new stealth bomber. By 2013-2014,
the program was officially rolled out as the Long Range Strike Bomber program. By this time, the
B-2 was approaching its third decade of service, and the Air Force knew it would take
about 10 to 20 years to bring the B-2’s replacement to initial operational capability.
After soliciting offers from the defense industry, the Air Force awarded the contract to
Northrup Grumman in 2015. One of the key reasons why the company won the contract was
because the Department of Defense put a firm, fixed price of 550 million dollars
per aircraft regardless of inflation. Once Northop Grumman won the contract, it took
nearly seven years to build the first B-21, which was unveiled in December 2022. While the
aircraft is expected to take its maiden flight sometime in 2023, the program is a few months
behind schedule, according to DoD officials. But despite this minor setback, the program
is still expected to deliver at least 100 and as many as 200 B-21s to the Air Force.
Even though the B-2 program was greatly curtailed in the number of aircraft
eventually delivered to the military, that does not mean the plane has not been an
active contributor to combat operations. In fact, despite having just 21 available combat aircraft
for most of its service, the B-2 has punched well above its weight in operations around the globe.
The B-2 made its combat debut on the evening of March 24, 1999. In the aftermath of the breakup
of the former Yugoslavia, the Balkans had been embroiled in a series of conflicts throughout
the 90s. The last of these conflicts centered around the Serbians carrying out attacks
against ethnic Albanians in the Kosovo region. Wanting to put a stop to the bloodshed, the UN and
NATO got together to form a coalition to cripple the Serbian military. But there was a problem.
Serbia had some of the most advanced air defense systems and heavily defended skies in Europe.
Regular conventional aircraft were in great danger of being shot down because of this. However, this
was the exact situation the B-2 was made for. B-2 bombers were supposed to go into the
country to eliminate Serbian air defenses to allow other aircraft safe passage to carry
on further strikes. Throughout the 78-day air campaign, the B-2 successfully neutralized
Serbian air defense systems, airfields, and transportation means like railway bridges
and crucial roads. All told, the B-2s flew just one percent of the total sorties yet destroyed
around a third of all targets in the conflict. One of the lessons learned from its combat
debut was the need for extended basing, crew change-outs, and multiple aerial refuelings.
The lessons learned would pay huge dividends just a few years later after the terrorist attacks of
9/11. In the immediate aftermath of these attacks, the US military began a huge air campaign to
eliminate the Taliban as a viable military force in Afghanistan. But because the
Taliban had amassed an arsenal of low-tech but high-quantity air defense weaponry and
man-portable systems, the B-2s went in first to prepare the battlespace for follow-on strikes.
During these initial strikes, the B-2 set a record that still holds true to this day. Leaving their
base in Missouri, six B-2 bombers went out on a mission to destroy al-Qaeda base camps in the
country. Flying an astonishing 44 hours to the target area, the crews had to conduct multiple
aerial refuelings as well as land for a crew change-out and quick maintenance check en route to
the target areas. After releasing their payloads, the B-2s returned to base 30 hours
later for an astonishing 70-plus hours of total flight time to Afghanistan and back.
But while the B-2 helped quickly neutralize the Taliban regime as an organized military
force and helped turn it into a guerilla army, the bomber was soon tasked with an even
bigger operational headache. When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, the B-2 was to be at the
forefront of taking out critical targets ahead of the invasion force. But there was a problem.
The sorties to Afghanistan demonstrated the need for forward basing. By moving closer to the combat
zone, crew fatigue and maintenance on the aircraft could be cut down significantly. Because of this,
the secret navy base at Diego Garcia was chosen as the launching point for B-2s since it was just
a five-hour straight shot into downtown Baghdad. Soon after arriving in Diego Garcia, the
B-2 demonstrated its combat prowess by destroying an Iraqi command post in
Baghdad on the evening of March 27, 2003. The command post was supposed to be the
headquarters where Iraqi officials were organizing guerilla attacks by the Fedayeen militia as well
as generating kill lists for Iraqis suspected of collaborating with coalition forces. The attack
on the command post was filmed and cemented the legacy of the plane to strike any target anywhere.
But during the 43 combat sorties the B-2 carried out during the invasion, the bomber attacked
more than just air defenses and critical infrastructure. It also attacked large Iraqi
troop formations in the open such as one attack on a Republican Guard armored division that was
assembling to launch a large-scale counterattack on American troops. The bombers decimated
the unit and thwarted the planned attack. Once Iraqi Freedom transitioned to an insurgency,
the B-2 saw less and less use until 2011, when Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched. In March
2011, NATO got together to help topple the Gaddafi regime since he had been using his military to
carry out indiscriminate attacks on civilians to make up for his forces' poor performance
on the battlefield. Over a two-week campaign, coalition air and naval units pounded Libyan
military targets. Among these were the B-2, which carried out strikes against air defense
systems and airfields to pave the way for coalition aircraft to do their work.
Even after the Gaddafi regime fell, the B-2s would still see action over Libya. In
the power vacuum left after Gaddafi’s downfall, terrorist groups started setting up shop in Libya,
including the country's ISIS affiliate. In the summer of 2017, a large gathering of ISIS fighters
met up southwest of the crucial city of Sirte, which had been taken from ISIS the previous year.
Because Libya had robust air defenses, competing factions, and many people sympathetic to the
ISIS cause, it was decided to use a B-2 bomber to guarantee this large gathering of ISIS militants
could be taken out, and it was. With the help of special forces on the ground giving real-time
feedback, B-2 bombers took out over 100 militants who were planning attacks in Europe and the US.
Despite the B-21 not having any operational history yet since it’s still in testing, each
aircraft bring a unique set of pros and cons to the table that complement one another. As
for the B-2, it’s a stealth bomber that is in a class of its own. Its unique combination of
sensors, a vast array of weapons, and numerous highly classified stealth technologies make it
the ultimate aerial weapon in modern airspaces. However, the B-2 is not without its faults.
The worst drawbacks are its massive cost. With an estimated operating cost
of 63 million dollars annually, that comes out to a staggering 135,000 dollars per
flight hour. On top of this, the aircraft is very finicky and needs lots of expensive, routine
maintenance. It’s for this reason that those expensive, temperature-controlled
shelters and hangars were made. As for the B-21, it has a host of
improvements over the B-2. For starters, it will be vastly cheaper to produce
and maintain. From the beginning, the Air Force has been adamant about making the
B-21 as cost-effective and easy to maintain as a regular fighter aircraft. Additionally,
with its better engines and lighter weight, it’s supposed to have a far greater operational
range than the B-2 and should be able to carry more advanced weapon systems. It’s also expected
that the B-21 will have even better stealth technology since it has enjoyed several decades
of further research and development in the field. But of course, the main drawback of the B-21
is all of its pros are just theories at this point. Until the plane becomes operational,
this is all just speculation about what it can or cannot do. One of the main pros of it being
cost-effective might get wiped out depending on production and relegate the future air fleet
to a size comparable to the current B-2 program. Even though the B-21 is yet to be proven, with
how successful the B-2 program has been, it’s very likely that the US Air Force can and will
deliver on all the promises of this aircraft. But while there may have been plenty of developments
to improve on the B-2, this OG stealth bomber is still unmatched in the skies. Improving on this
already legendary system will make the B-21 a force to be reckoned with decades after the
last B-2 is eventually retired from service. Now go check out Most Deadly US Military
Weapon Right Now. Or click this video instead.
