Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber to attain hardware status since the Cold War B-2A Spirit, which was publicly unveiled in 1988 and introduced in 1993. First flown on November 10, 2023, the mighty Raider is destined to become the mainstay of America's long-range air fleet with at least 100 units entering service from around 2027 onwards. Once operational, it will certainly be the most advanced military aircraft in the World, as well as the first "Sixth Generation" warplane. Its main goal, apart from nuclear deterrence, is to render useless the Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) battle networks created during the last decades by the revisionist Eurasian powers Russia and China. While details concerning this devastating weapon remain classified, we attempt a first assessment of its historical perspective, technical characteristics, concept of operations and challenges.