The US intends to unveil on Friday its new B-21 “Raider” strategic stealth bomber, a device capable of operating without a crew and delivering long-range nuclear strikes while also using conventional weapons, France Presse reported, citing Agerpres.

The Pentagon intends to equip itself with at least 100 copies of this high-tech aircraft, developed by industrial group Northrop Grumman, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. The device, which is to be unveiled on Friday in Palmdale, California, will make its first flight in 2023.

“The B-21 aircraft will become the basis of our future bombers. Thanks to its range, throughput and power, it will be able to penetrate the most difficult environments and will be able to reach any target in the world,” Stefanek assured. .

The American “nuclear triad”.

The plane, which would cost about $700 million per copy, is the first bomber ordered by the US military in decades. It will gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 models, bombers whose first flights date back to the Cold War.

Thus, the B-21 device will become a key element of the American “nuclear triad”, consisting of missiles and bombs that can be launched from land, sea and air.

“The bomber fleet allows the US to be flexible in terms of nuclear deterrence and provides a guarantee in case of problems with other pillars” of this strike force, explained Amy Nelson, an expert at the Brookings Institution, a US think tank based in Washington. .

Aircraft capabilities

The US military does not want to reveal too much information about the capabilities of the B-21 aircraft, many of whose technical characteristics remain secret. But this new model will be a significant improvement over the existing aircraft fleet.

In particular, the bomber will be able to fly without a crew on board. Stefanek said the U.S. military “has not yet made any decision to conduct unmanned flights.”

The aircraft also has an “open architecture” that allows it to easily adapt to future technological advances.

The bomber is “built for evolution,” sums up Nelson. Its “open architecture” allows, in particular, the “future integration of software” capable of improving its performance, especially its autonomy, “so that the aircraft does not quickly become obsolete.”

“The B-21 is much more advanced than its predecessors, really modern,” she added. Unlike the B-2 bomber, the aircraft has a “dual potential”: it can strike with both nuclear missiles and conventional weapons. But it can also “launch short- and long-range missiles,” reports Agerpres.