Can someone explain how the B-21 is even useful?
They cost $2 billion per plane. A Falcon 9 can deliver at 50 ton payload anywhere on the planet for $50 million per launch.
What does a plane give over a rocket that can reliably hit a bullseye on a moving barge?
“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.