Just thinking out loud here, but if there were another war where long range bombers were needed, it would be over before we could dust off the blueprints.
If there were another war under this regime, I don't know whose side I would be on. And that is the saddest thing I have ever had to say in my 64 plus years on the planet
Warfare also boils down to economics to a very large degree. For the cost of one $500 million New Heavy Stealth Bomber you could buy 500 $1 million cruise missiles that are launched from stand off distance from much cheaper platforms or even ground launchers or subs. What would give the best “bang for the buck”?
Maybe our latest stealth will work against the latest in radar and thermal detection technology. But all the billions of $ of stealth will do no good on a clear day and a sharp eyed fighter pilot.
We used B-1’s and B-2’s on bombing missions in Afghanistan.