US media highlight key problem facing America’s B-21 bomber programme

US Air Force planners say they will need hundreds of next-generation B-21 Raider strategic bombers to deter China, but production is progressing far too slowly, according to American media reports.

Harrison Kass, a defence analyst and columnist for 19FortyFive, identified the programme’s central challenge: the “slow production line” of the aircraft.

Kass noted that China has a vastly dispersed network of airbases, as well as critical industrial and military facilities. Striking these targets quickly in a potential conflict would require the US Air Force to deploy large numbers of advanced long-range bombers. Some analysts estimate that 150–200 B-21s may be needed to ensure effective deterrence.

“The industrial reality is that Northrop Grumman can likely produce only a dozen or so ultra-complex B-21s per year, meaning reaching 200 or more aircraft would take almost two decades,” Kass warned. 

In September, the blog The Aviationist reported that the second B-21 prototype conducted its maiden flight over Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, California, escorted by an F-16 fighter jet.

By Vugar Khalilov