US Military Unveils B-21 Raider Aircraft With Advanced Stealth Technology

According to defense company Northrop Grumman, the B-21 which is designed using next-generation stealth technology, can remain undetectable even to advanced radars and air defense systems, and can fly in full stealth mode every day, unlike the current model that needs hundreds of hours of maintenance between missions.

Pentagon officially presented the aircraft Friday night, at an event at Northrop Grumman's plant in Palmdale, California. Prior to the event, the company called it the "world’s first sixth-generation aircraft," though most of its details still remain a secret. The company is currently working on six B-21 units, which are in various stages of production.

The United States Air Force is expected to order at least 100 B-21 Raiders. The military will start testing the stealth bomber in California sometime next year before the first units go into service by mid-2020s.

According to US Airforce, "the B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable, penetrating-strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force consisting of B-21s and B-52s."