Back in February, US Air Force general Anthony Cotton – the head of US Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear-capable forces – told a US senator he’d “love” to get more of the new B-21 Raider stealth bombers, the first batch of which is under production at a Northrop Grumman facility in California.
The general may soon get his wish. The Air Force is considering adding additional B-21s to the currently planned fleet of 100 bombers.
“I think that’s exactly what the Air Force is looking at,” Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden recently told investors.
With a bigger fleet of B-21s, the Air Force not only could expand its bomber force in the 2030s – it also could reinvent its fighter force, too. Recent advancements in missiles and drones point to a tantalising possibility: that of a stealth bomber with an air-to-air role.
Back in February, US Air Force general Anthony Cotton – the head of US Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear-capable forces – told a US senator he’d “love” to get more of the new B-21 Raider stealth bombers, the first batch of which is under production at a Northrop Grumman facility in California.
The general may soon get his wish. The Air Force is considering adding additional B-21s to the currently planned fleet of 100 bombers.
“I think that’s exactly what the Air Force is looking at,” Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden recently told investors.
With a bigger fleet of B-21s, the Air Force not only could expand its bomber force in the 2030s – it also could reinvent its fighter force, too. Recent advancements in missiles and drones point to a tantalising possibility: that of a stealth bomber with an air-to-air role.