To strike anywhere, anytime in the stealthiest way imaginable, the Air Force assumes that the U.S. tanker fleet will always have the wherewithal to refuel its bombers in the air.
Now, with an order of at least 100 new B-21 Raider stealth bombers, the Air Force could find itself short of aerial refueling capacity. This could be a problem in the 2030s when the B-21s come online.
The chief of the Air Force Strategic Command General Anthony Cotton found this out recently from another general who leads the Transportation Command. This discussion came during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“We got a really deep understanding in terms of how they intend to employ their new aircraft. And that will drive a slightly different way in which we are to support them, which actually means that it’s going to be a little bit higher requirement specifically in the fuel transfer,” General Randall Reed, the chief of Transportation Command, said to the committee last week.
B-21 Raider: The Fuel Transfer Rate Is an Unsolved Issue
There will need to be more refueling aerial tankers for the B-21 that currently serve the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.
The Air Force calls the “fuel transfer rate,” and it may not be sufficient in the 2030s when the service branch expects the B-21 to dominate the skies.
Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska began the questioning with a statement that pertained to aerial refueling capacity.
She wondered if the Air Force had an “adequate tanker fleet to support the platform.”
Where Will the B-21s Be Flown From?
The B-21 is expected to have ultra-long range, but it will need to be able to reach targets in East Asia such as China and North Korea if needed.
The first squadron of Raiders will be stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. B-21s will also fly out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.
Northrup Grumman, the manufacturer of the B-21 Raider, believes the very high-capacity fuel tanks will be able to do the job and keep them in the air for lengthy periods.
But the B-21 would have to be refueled in air for the trip to the Indo-Pacific.
The B-21 Raider Must Maintain Nuclear Deterrence
Senator Fischer asked at the hearing, “I understand that the Air Force will make the ultimate decision on its tanker acquisition strategy, but I’d like to better understand how TRANSCOM is working with the Air Force to communicate its requirements. Are you expressing your needs to the Air Force on what you need to support a nuclear bomber force so that it remains effective and a credible deterrent globally?”
‘Stealthy Flying Gas Tank’ May Require More Fuel Transfer Capacity
General Reed replied that the B-21 will require a “little bit” higher fuel transfer.
Reed said that he and General Cotton will be working together to develop solutions for the needed refueling requirements for the B-21. The B-21 is described as a “stealthy flying gas can” by the War Zone.
Aerial Refueling Is Not Stealthy
There is a problem when refueling any stealthy airplane.
The KC-46 tanker is not able to evade radar, so during the aerial refueling process, the enemy could spot the B-21 with its sensors.
It takes about 17 minutes now for aerial refueling from a KC-46 to provide 80 percent of the fuel for a B-2 bomber.
The idea behind the Raider is to refuel outside the range of enemy air defenses.
However, the B-21 has massive fuel tanks, and it is unknown how long it will take to refuel it in air.
Plus, tankers would need to refuel other airplanes comprising the force of fighters and bombers that would typically fly together in a strike mission aimed at other continents.
These missions can last more than 24 hours.
Can the B-21 Adapt?
The B-21 has “open system architecture” and “it’s adaptable to an entire family of systems, of weapons, sensors, platforms, comms, space, you name it,” said Maj. Gen. Ty Neuman, director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements at Air Force Global Strike Command, explained during a panel on next-generation aircraft at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2025 Warfare Symposium recently.
We will see how adaptable the B-21 can be regarding refueling requirements. The airplane may require an inordinate amount of fuel. It is good that Congressional lawmakers and Air Force brass are discussing these problems now and not when the B-21 enters active duty. Shirking the requirements of logistics would be a dangerous path forward.
By asking and pondering these questions in 2025, the Air Force has a better chance of solving the problem in the 2030s. This shouldn’t be a show-stopper for the B-21, but it will require significant fuel, and aerial tankers must respond to the challenges.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
