The world’s first sixth-generation aircraft is introduced: Here is the “invisible” bomber B-21 Raider

The US military introduced the B-21 Raider, the first new stealth bomber in 30 years. Northrop Grumman, who developed the plane, first showed the silhouette of the plane covered with a cover in 2015. The Pentagon officially unveiled the B-21 at an event held at Northrop Grumman’s factory in Palmdale, California, but many of its details still remain a mystery. Prior to the event, the company called the vehicle “the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft,” implying that it was much more technologically advanced than military jets in service today.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during the event that “no other long-range bomber can match the efficiency [of the B-21]”, ABC News reported. Also, Austin said that fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have been transferred to aircraft, and that even the most advanced air defense systems will have trouble spotting a B-21 in the sky.

Take a closer look at the B-21 Raider — the world’s first sixth generation aircraft. This changes everything. #DefiningPossible #RiseoftheRaider pic.twitter.com/rZIINucOug

— Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) December 3, 2022

Northrop Grumman said in a previous statement that the aircraft was designed using next-generation stealth technology, so that it could not be detected even by advanced radars and air defense systems. According to Air and Space Force Magazine, a Northrop Grumman official said the B-21 can fly in full stealth mode every day, unlike the current model, which requires hundreds of hours of maintenance between missions. The aircraft will use a cheaper and easier-to-maintain cloud-based digital infrastructure, and the military will be able to offer rapid upgrades for individual components to always protect against evolving threats.

Northrop Grumman is currently working on six B-21s in various stages of production, but the Air Force is expected to order at least 100 of them. The military will begin testing the stealth bomber in California next year before the first aircraft enter service by the mid-2020s.