The mysterious, dark, and secretive B-21 program inspires the imagination with a new realm of technological possibility, as it is widely anticipated to be the stealthiest platform the world has ever seen.
The platform will control drones and operate as a sensor “node” in the sky, performing command, control, and networking while holding any target at risk, senior Air Force weapons developers say, anywhere in the world, at any time.
The B-21 Raider does have a B-2-like horizontal flying wing design, blending wing and body to elude enemy ground radar, yet the B-21 appears even stealthier, sleeker, and more elusive than the larger B-2. The inlets of the B-21 smoothly blend into the fuselage, and its configuration appears stealthier and smaller than that of the B-2.
A slightly smaller frame does not necessarily mean it will carry less payload than a B-2; rather, it could mean materials, space, and internal configuration have been optimized for a new level of performance.
B-21 Stealth Bomber Could Become a True Legend
Given the program’s secret nature, many of its stealth properties and advanced technologies will not be available for public discussion, yet a side photo from 2024 does offer a previously unprecedented side view of the new aircraft.
A quick look at the external configuration suggests that the aircraft may contain massive “leaps forward” in stealth technology.
A key element of the aircraft might jump out at observers, as its inlets are smoothly woven into the rounded fuselage-wing-body structure in a flatter, more horizontal, less angular, and more seamless way than its B-2 predecessor.
It is less vertical and flatter when integrated with the aircraft’s body. This is significant because any protruding or vertical structure, however rounded or “blended” into the aircraft’s fuselage, introduces the prospect of an increased radar signature.
Vertical structures and sharp angles, in pure aerodynamic terms, create shapes, angles, and contours. Electromagnetic radar “pings” can bounce off and generate a return rendering. A completely flat aircraft, by contrast, offers few, if any, protruding structures or angles off of which radar pings traveling at the speed of light can bounce off.
Radar and air defense systems generate a picture or rendering of a threat object by bouncing electromagnetic signals off of a structure and analyzing the return, thus creating a rendering or image of the object’s size, shape, or even speed. The F-35 and F-22, while quite stealthy, are believed to be effective against many air defense systems.
The airframes are ultimately less stealthy than a fully horizontal blended wing-body aircraft such as the B-2 or B-21.
This design makes sense, as a B-21 is not designed to “dogfight” or vector in the air per se. Instead, it actualizes broadband stealth and penetrates defended enemy airspace without an enemy even knowing it is “there” at all. B-2 and B-21 bombers, therefore, are said to present as a bird or small airborne animal to enemy radar, given the absence of detectable shapes, structures, and angles contained on the fuselage.
Vertical structures, such as tails and fins, decrease stealth properties to some extent while simultaneously enabling maneuver, speed, and air-to-air combat. At the same time, the ability to maneuver at high speeds and vector in the air are stealth-enhancing, radar signature-reducing attributes capable of presenting challenges to ground-based radar seeking to establish a target lock or track on a threat object.
B-21 Raider Bomber Could Be Historic
The intent of broadband stealth is to be entirely stealth, meaning the aircraft can elude both lower-frequency surveillance radar, which can detect something is “there,” and higher-frequency engagement radar, which can establish a track and lock on the target and actually “engage” and destroy the aircraft.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is Military Technology Editor of 1945 and the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
