Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider Is Flying as Expected
The B-21 Raider for the USAF
The B-21 Raider is a sixth-generation long-range stealth bomber being developed for the USAF by Northrop Grumman. The U.S. Department of Defense gave the go-ahead for the company to start its production in February 2024.
The B-12 is being designed to replace the older B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bomber fleets in an effort to strengthen the USAF’s strategic bombing capabilities. The USAF plans to add 100 of these bombers (both manned and autonomous) to its fleet.
B-12 Raider Specs
Incorporating high-tech stealth technology which makes it highly resistant to radar detection, the B-12 is designed to infiltrate advanced anti-aircraft defenses, like anti-access and area-denial systems, and carry out precision strikes anywhere in the world.
This digital bomber is capable of carrying regular and nuclear weapons, and has an advanced cloud-based digital infrastructure. With its flexible and versatile design, both Northrop Grumman and the USAF aim for the B-21 Raider to be the fleet’s backbone.
The B-12 Raider’s Design
Although most of the intricate structural details remain classified (for obvious reasons), we do have some information on the B-12’s design. For instance, recent photographs revealed that it has L-shaped inlets that look like sideways teardrops with a right angle at around a third of their length (these were initially hidden by Northrop Grumman when it unveiled the aircraft at the end of 2022).
It sports a rounded inboard section to disrupt the boundary layer. It also has two indentations on both sides of the aft fuselage above the engine nacelles. There are stenciled markings on the wings and fuselage along with the project’s division symbol on its right wing.
Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider—Fun Facts
In addition to its stealth and digital capabilities, cloud technology, and open architecture, the B-12 has also been designed with sustainment affordability and long-term operations in mind. It has taken a team of over 8,000 people, and over 400 suppliers, to design and put the aircraft together since the contract was awarded in 2015.
The B-12 is the first bomber to be unveiled since the end of the Cold War, and was named after the Doolittle Raid of World War II. According to the USAF, the heroic actions of Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle and 80 volunteer airmen, along with 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, changed the course of the war.
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