Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) unveiled the B-21 Raider on Dec. 2. The B-21 joins the nuclear triad as a visible and flexible deterrent designed to enable the USAF to accomplish its most complex missions.
«The Northrop Grumman team develops and delivers technology that advances science, looks to the future and brings it to the here and now,» said Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman chairman, CEO and president. «The B-21 Raider defines a new era in technology and reinforces America’s role in securing peace through deterrence.»
The B-21 Raider forms the backbone of the future of U.S. air power, leading a powerful family of systems that delivers a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors, and weapons. Its sixth-generation capabilities include stealth, information advantage and open architecture.
«The B-21 Raider is a testament to America’s enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation. And it is evidence of the Department’s long-term commitment to building advanced capabilities that will strengthen America’s ability to deter aggression, today and in the future. Now, strengthening and sustaining U.S. deterrence is at the heart of our National Defense Strategy,» said Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.
«This bomber was built on strong bipartisan support in Congress. And thanks to that support, we will soon fly this aircraft, test it and move it into production,» he added.
The B-21 is capable of networking across the battlespace to multiple systems, and across domains. Supported by a digital ecosystem throughout its lifecycle, the B-21 can rapidly evolve through rapid technology upgrades that provide new capabilities to overcome future threats.
«With the B-21, the U.S. Air Force will be able to deter or defeat threats anywhere in the world,» said Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems. «The B-21 exemplifies how Northrop Grumman is leading the industry in digital transformation and engineering, ultimately delivering more value to our customers.»
The B-21 Raider is named in honor of the Doolittle Raids of World War II, when 80 men, led by Lt. Col. James «Jimmy» Doolittle, and 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers departed on a mission that changed the course of World War II. The B-21 designation recognizes the Raider as the first bomber of the 21st century.
