Posted on 02/01/2022 11:30:27 AM PST by RomanSoldier19
“Can someone explain how the B-21 is even useful?”
Bombers are still needed to do the job that missiles cannot do. Missiles are easily detected even if they’re not easy to intercept. That gives people on the ground (at the target) precious time to get to shelter or perhaps launch missiles of their own.
Stealthy bombers can be above a target and drop smart munitions on an unsuspecting target.
That said, the B-21 ideally gives the US a chance to neutralize enemy nuclear forces in a surprise attack. If TSHTF and a B-21 means your city/town isn’t vaporized then the B-21 should be considered very useful.
All the BS aside here, that’s what stealthy bombers are ultimately intended to do is to penetrate enemy defenses and to kill an enemy’s nuclear forces if things get to that point.
B-2 cost $2 billion per unit. B-21 estimated cost is $0,6 billion.
Bombers can also be recalled, mission scrubbed. Missiles, not so much.
That’s the experimental Northrop YB-49 “Flying Wing” from the late 1940s. It was tested at Muroc AFB in the Mojave Desert of California. On one of its test flights it crashed, killing the crew, among whom was Captain Glen Edwards. Muroc AFB was renamed Edwards AFB in his honor. I spent my last months in the USAF stationed at Edwards.
yup, and to ride in that bubble??? OH Hell YEAH!
Lots of conspiracy theories about why the YB-49 was canceled.
Beautiful airplane.
For the B-2, the development costs were enormous on each aircraft because they were spread over only about 25 bombers produced. Had Congress ponied up for the 125 or so B-2s planned the unit costs would have been much less.
True.
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