The significance of the US Air Force’s bomber fleet was most recently exemplified in the Operation Midnight Hammer airstrikes that targeted Iran’s top three nuclear facilities. While the B-2’s successful bombing operation at least impaired Tehran’s ability to ramp up uranium production anytime soon, it also showcased the small fleet size of one of the service’s top-tier bombing platforms. Only 19 “Spirit” stealth bombers are currently in service today. This shockingly small fleet size is expected to be complemented down the line with the future B-21 “Raider” series. The Northrop Grumman strategic bomber is currently under development for the Air Force and will host all the latest and greatest technologies when introduced as the military’s first sixth-generation aircraft of its kind.
Earlier this year, top officers with the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) and the Air Force discussed next-generation requirements. During the McAleese and Associates’ annual Defense Programs Conference, the head of STRATCOM stated that 145 B-21s would need to be fielded in order to satisfy the needs of the service. Gen. Anthony J. Cotton previously had stated that additional B-21s would be welcomed, as originally only 100 Raiders were planned. The geopolitical instability caused by the Russian-Ukraine and Israel-Iran wars specifically has demonstrated the need for an increased number of Raiders. The commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, Gen. Thomas Bussiere, also emphasized the enduring role of the service’s bomber fleet more recently, noting that “In 2024, Air Force Global Strike Command performed 33 BTF missions. Ten of them were for the European Theater, 10 for the Indo-Pacific Theater, six in the Central Command AOR [area of responsibility], and the remainder were carried out in NORTHCOM, SOUTHCOM, and AFRICOM. Those were primarily presence and engagement missions.”
What We Know About the Raider
As the Air Force’s newest bomber, the Raider will eventually replace its B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit predecessors. When the B-21 reaches operational capacity, it is expected to represent the backbone of the service’s global strike capability. The Northrop Grumman-designed platform is named to honor the Doolittle Raiders of World War II. First conceptualized in 2011 as the Long Range Strike Bomber program, the resulting B-21 has remained highly under wraps over the last 14-plus years. As a sixth-generation platform, the Raider is being designed to serve the military as a battle manager, intelligence-collection platform, and interceptor aircraft.
The Raider program remains highly classified, but the sixth-generation platform has been unveiled to the public. Following its initial debut in 2022, the Raider was later exposed when the service released images of the bomber in 2023. From what analysts can tell, the Raider will be smaller in size than the Spirit, which could ensure the platform is even less detectable by enemy radar. Additionally, the B-21 will incorporate modular systems that will enable seamless upgrades as future technologies become available, imitating the F-35 Lightning II’s open-system architecture.
As tensions across the globe continue to surge from the South China Sea to the Red Sea, the timely introduction of the Air Force’s next-generation feats should be prioritized.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
