The presentation of the US Air Force’s newest strategic stealth bomber is expected by the end of 2022, manufacturer Northrop Grumman said in a statement. According to the tradition that has developed in the United States, the first flights of a new aircraft usually take place a few months after such ceremonies.
Defense News noted that confirming that the B-21’s maiden flight is scheduled for 2023 brings some clarity to the timeline of the next-generation strategic bomber, but it also shows the Air Force’s hopes for a first fast first flight. The B-21 USA failed.
The Pentagon was expected to launch the B-21 in December 2021. This was announced in 2019 by the former Deputy Chief of Staff, General Stephen Wilson.
The US Department of Defense first announced its intention to sign a contract with Northrop Grumman Corporation for the development of a new long-range attack bomber (LRS-B) in 2015.
The strategic bomber B-21 is designed for operations in conditions of use of both conventional and nuclear weapons. According to the manufacturer, this aircraft will be capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory and surviving in the affected areas of modern air defense systems.
As expected, the B-21 Raider will work in both manned and unmanned (remote-controlled) versions. The combination of long range and large payloads means that the B-21 is most likely a subsonic aircraft.
US Air Force officials emphasize that the B-21 strategic bombers are part of a “system family”, meaning that it is the node of a vast network of distributed combat vehicles, sensors and communications.
As for the Russian promising strategic bomber (PAK DA, Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex), which can compete with the B-21, there is little data on this aircraft in open sources.
Now in the public domain there are only computer graphics and photographs of the latest Russian strategic bomber model, known as “Product-80” under the code “Messenger-1RP-MS” at the stage of experimental design work.
According to official data, a new generation strategic bomber will be made according to the aerodynamic scheme of the “flying wing” using stealth technologies, that is, it is similar to the B-2 and B-21. The Russian PAK DA is expected to be equipped with hypersonic offensive and defensive weapons.
It was previously reported that the first PAK DA prototype is expected in 2021-2022, a test flight is planned for 2025-2026, and serial deliveries will begin in 2028-2029. Then it was announced that the preliminary tests of the bomber will be held in April 2023. State tests will be held in February 2026, and by 2027 the car will already go into series.
“It is clear that PAK DA is not currently the first priority for the Russian Armed Forces and the military-industrial complex. Today, the Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces has a significant battle-ready squadron of strategic and long-range bombers (as well as those in significant modernization stages). There is no longer a compelling need to buy and build an entirely new strategic bomber. Let’s just say that Russia could produce a prototype stealth bomber even today. But when it comes to the series, we will face the challenges of a completely different order,” Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told socialbites.ca.
Nevertheless, the PAK DA program “remains in service”, its implementation will continue, sooner or later we will get this bomber, Pukhov said.
“The slowdown in production of stealth bombers, both in our country and in the Americans, means that there is really no urgent need for them. It’s really just a promising type of technology and is still being understood, how and where to use it,
– Retired Air Force Commander Vladimir Dmitriev concluded.