
US to retire B2 bombers by 2030; What replaces them is even more dangerous. Meet the B-21 Raider, its next-gen stealth bomber
Live Events
B‑2 Spirit: Long-Range Stealth Bomber
B-1B Lancer: High-Speed Strike Aircraft
B-52H Stratofortress: The Long-Serving Bomber
Strategic Importance of the Bomber Fleet
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
The United States Air Force is upgrading its long-range strike power with the induction of the B-21 Raider , its next-generation stealth bomber . This marks a significant shift in U.S. air power as the B-21 joins legacy bombers like the B-2 Spirit B-1B Lancer , and B-52H Stratofortress , each of which remains active in global operations. Together, these aircraft form the backbone of U.S. strategic deterrence and long-range combat capabilities.The B-21 Raider is the newest addition to America's bomber fleet, developed by Northrop Grumman under the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program. Its design aims to replace the older B-2 and B-52 bombers. The aircraft had its first flight in late 2023, and operational deployment is expected later this decade.The U.S. Air Force plans to procure at least 100 B-21 bombers, with the possibility of increasing the number to 200. The B-21 is designed to operate in contested environments, carry both nuclear and conventional weapons, and remain effective against evolving threats through its digital and open-systems design.Crew: 2Wingspan: 132 ftMax speed: Mach 0.8+Ceiling: 50,000 ftPayload: 20,000 lb in weapons bayArmament includes AGM-181 LRSO missiles and JDAM bombsThe B-2 Spirit remains a critical part of the U.S. Air Force's ability to strike distant, high-value targets. Developed by Northrop Grumman and partners, it uses stealth technology and a flying wing design to avoid radar detection. Its long range and ability to deliver nuclear or conventional weapons make it central to U.S. deterrence.In Operation Midnight Hammer, B-2s flew a 37-hour mission from Whiteman Air Force Base to Iran, striking nuclear targets using GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs.Crew: 2Wingspan: 172 ftMax takeoff weight: 336,500 lbPayload: 40,000 lbCeiling: 50,000 ftRange: IntercontinentalUnit cost: $1.157 billion (FY98 dollars)Inventory: 20 aircraft (1 test unit)The B-1B Lancer remains a key asset for delivering the largest conventional payload in the U.S. Air Force. Built by Boeing, the aircraft features variable-sweep wings and is powered by four afterburning turbofan engines. It is capable of low-level penetration at high subsonic speeds.Upgrades to its radar, communications, and digital systems have kept the B-1B relevant for modern missions. It carries a mix of guided and unguided munitions, and its survivability is enhanced by electronic jamming systems, radar decoys, and countermeasure flares.Originally built for nuclear missions, the B-1B was converted to a conventional-only role by 2011.Crew: 4Wingspan: 137 ft (extended)Max speed: Mach 1.2Ceiling: 30,000+ ftPayload: 75,000 lbUnit cost: $317 millionInventory: 62 active, 2 test aircraftThe B-52H Stratofortress continues to serve in the U.S. Air Force more than 70 years after its first flight. Known for its durability and global range, the B-52 can deliver both nuclear and conventional weapons. It has participated in operations from Desert Storm to the fight against ISIS.Modern B-52s are fitted with advanced targeting pods and sensors, along with upgraded avionics and communication systems. Its long-range and large payload capacity allow it to conduct a wide range of missions, including maritime strike and air interdiction.The B-52H is expected to remain in service beyond 2050.Crew: 5Wingspan: 185 ftMax speed: Mach 0.84Ceiling: 50,000 ftPayload: 70,000 lbRange: 8,800 milesUnit cost: $84 millionInventory: 58 active, 4 test, 18 reserveThe U.S. Air Force maintains these four bombers to ensure a flexible, survivable, and long-range strike capability. While legacy aircraft continue to undergo upgrades to remain mission-ready, the B-21 Raider signals a generational shift in American air power.As stated by the U.S. Air Force, these bombers ensure 'America's ability to conduct precise, sustained, and survivable global strike operations now and into the future.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Influencers, F&O traders among five new professional codes in ITR 3
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel New Delhi: In a first, the Income Tax department has introduced five new professional codes in the Income Tax Return Form-3 (ITR3), recognising social media influencers , speculative traders, commission agents, and future and options traders as move is part of the department's efforts to capture the evolving nature of professions in the digital age with people opting for such career options, officials said."This year, we have added five new codes for professions and will continue to add more to bring them within the formal economy," a senior official told to tax officials, the number of influencers' with more than ₹20 lakh gross annual income has risen sharply in the last two years. In some cases, the annual income was more than ₹2-5 crore, higher than professionals in many other sectors. In some cases, their net worth exceeded ₹100 crore, the official said, requesting many cases, these influencers were brought under the tax scanner as they were either not filing returns or were filling wrong returns. "By assigning them proper professional code, they will be able to file returns correctly, and this will also help the field formations as they would know which bracket they would fall into," the official far, many social media influencers use to either file returns as either business income or by choosing the "Other" experts anticipate that the latest change by the tax department will usher greater accuracy in income reporting and compliance, ultimately contributing to a more streamlined tax collection process "With the ever-evolving business landscape, it is of utmost importance to enact separate codes for emerging business," said Amit Maheshwari, tax partner, AKM Global, a tax and consulting firm. "For taxpayers, it brings more clarity in choosing the right category while filing returns, especially for emerging business and specialised services that were earlier forced to choose mismatched codes."The move will not only align income disclosure with the type of profession or business activity but will also help them in improving data analytics capabilities of the department, enhance compliance monitoring, and reduce misreporting.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India eases Maldives' debt, pledges approximately Rs 4,850 crore credit line
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India on Friday announced a Line of Credit (LoC) of $565 million (approximately ₹4,850 crore) to the Maldives, along with a reduction in the country's annual debt repayment obligations on existing Government of India-funded LoCs. The move provides further financial relief to the island nation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to announcement came after wide-ranging talks between PM Modi and Maldives President Mohamed a joint press conference, Modi said, "India is the closest neighbour to Maldives. Maldives holds a unique place in India's Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR. India is proud to be Maldives' most trusted friend. Be it disaster or pandemic, India always stands as a first responder.""We have decided to provide a Line of Credit of $565 million to Maldives," he said, adding, "Talks on a Free Trade Agreement between India and Maldives have started." "India will always support Maldives to strengthen its defence capabilities," Modi further stated, as the Muizzu government appeared to have moved past earlier concerns regarding India's defence support to Male. The two leaders also jointly inaugurated the new building of the Maldives Ministry of Muizzu said the LoC would be used for priority infrastructure and social sector projects of his government."This visit coincides with two cherished occasions," Muizzu said, referring to the dual celebration of Maldivian independence and 60 years of diplomatic ties with India. The visit marks a turnaround in bilateral relations since early Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed to expand cooperation across various sectors. These included agreements on fisheries and aquaculture, meteorological collaboration between India's Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the Maldives Meteorological Services, and sharing scalable digital governance solutions to promote digital a key financial connectivity step, a network-level agreement was also concluded between NPCI International Payments Limited and the Maldives Monetary Authority to bring India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to the Maldives.


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt provides Rs 49,330 cr fertilisers subsidy till July 21 of FY26
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Centre has provided fertilisers subsidy of Rs 49,330 crore till July 21 of this fiscal to ensure farmers get key nutrients at a reasonable a written reply to Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State of Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel informed that the total fertilizer subsidy provided by the government stood at Rs 49,329.88 crore till July 21 of 2025-26 of this, Rs 30,940.82 crore subsidy was towards domestic urea while Rs 4,006.70 crore for imported 2022-23, the Centre's fertiliser subsidy stood at Rs 2,54,798.88 crore. The subsidy declined to Rs 1,95,420.51 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 1,77,129.50 crore in 2024-25."Under ' DBT in Fertilizers ' system, 100 per cent subsidy on various fertilizer grades is released to the fertilizer companies, on actual sales to the beneficiaries based on Aadhar authentication through POS devices installed at each retail shop," Patel farmers (including small, medium and large farmers) are being supplied fertilisers at subsidized rates, she Centre provides urea to farmers at a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of Rs 242 per bag of 45 kg bag (exclusive of charges towards neem coating and taxes as applicable).The difference between the MRP and the production cost is given as subsidy to the urea manufacturer/ production increased from 225 lakh tonne during 2014-15 to a record 314.07 lakh tonne during 2023-24. During 2024-25, 306.67 lakh tonne of urea was produced in the respect of P&K (phosphatic and potassic fertilizers), the Centre has implemented Nutrient Based Subsidy policy with effect from April the policy, a fixed amount of subsidy is provided on subsidised P&K fertilizers depending on their nutrient content. The MRP is fixed by fertilizer companies.