The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber has seen plans for a primary flight in 2022 terminated, with the explanations for the delay remaining unexplained. Provide chain points, labor shortages and efficiency issues have all been speculated by varied sources. An Air Drive spokeswoman chatting with Air Drive Journal however reassured that manufacturing of the brand new plane “stays inside its acquisition program baseline for value, schedule, and efficiency established at Milestone B award, which was primarily based on an unbiased authorities estimate for this system… B-21 program continues to make sure the primary flight take a look at plane is a high-quality construct and production-representative, in an effort to drive an environment friendly flight take a look at marketing campaign and quickly subject this vital fight functionality.” With prior publish Chilly Warfare packages significantly for stealth plane and ships persistently dealing with years lengthy delays, super value overruns and severe efficiency points, notable examples being the F-35 and F-22 fighters, B-2 bomber, Littoral Fight Ship and Zumwalt Class destroyer, it has lengthy been anticipated that the B-21 may face not less than some related points with presently delays doubtlessly being the primary of a number of indicators of this.
Except for the B-2 Spirit which noticed manufacturing capped at simply 20 serial airframes on account of deep finances cuts and extensive ranging efficiency points, the B-21 is the primary new Western bomber to be developed because the Seventies which locations an incredible burden on this system. The plane is anticipated to interchange all B-1 and B-2 bombers in service and type a number of further squadrons, with the airframe imagined to even be used as the idea for varied supporting plane equivalent to tankers and airborne early warning jets. With the B-1 already having begun retirement within the face of very low availably charges, at occasions within the single digits, the necessity for a subsequent technology bomber within the type of the B-21 stays vital. Though the rival Russian program the PAK DA has confronted vital delays, the Chinese language H-20 is anticipated to enter service at across the identical time because the B-21 and probably years earlier than it and to be fielded in comparable numbers. The B-21 is anticipated to see properly over 100 airframes constructed, with some sources speculating that over 200 may enter service, to not solely modernise the fleet but additionally type a number of new squadrons partially reversing publish Chilly Warfare cuts to bomber numbers. Whether or not the plane will have the ability to obtain its objectives relies upon closely on its means to satisfy targets for operational prices and upkeep wants, which prior American stealth plane and stealth ships have very persistently did not do forcing the Pentagon to make deep cuts to deliberate acquisitions.
