The B-21 Raider is expected to be more advanced than any other aircraft now in the U.S. military’s arsenal.
The B-21 Raider, with a distinctive bat-wing shape, was pulled forward out of a hangar here while awash in blue light as cinematic music played and Northrop Grumman employees cheered.
The program is expected to cost at least $80 billion, with the Air Force seeking at least 100 planes. It marks the U.S. military’s first aircraft with so called sixth-generation technology, relying on advanced artificial intelligence, computer networking and data fusion to assist pilots as they carry out long-range bombing missions requiring them to slip in and out of enemy airspace.
More than 8,000 people are working on aspects of the program, with aircraft parts coming from 40 states.The Pentagon intends for the Raider to replace aging B-2 Spirit and B-1B Lancer bombers, phasing out the older aircraft by the 2040s. B-52 bombers, many decades old already, also could be replaced by the B-21 in coming years. The unveiling event Friday included flyovers by all three aging bombers.
Air Force and company officials said in a panel discussion with reporters on Friday that the program continues to meet service requirements for cost, though the cost per copy has continued to rise. In 2010, the service said it hoped each plane would cost about $550 million. By 2019, the price had risen to $639 million, according to a Congressional Research Service report released last year, and the cost is expected to continue climbing.Gen.
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