Posted on 07/14/2025 6:14:04 AM PDT by whyilovetexas111
The new B-21 Raider strategic bomber is not a revolutionary “game-changer,” but rather a crucial evolutionary step in air power that debunks the myth that drones and AI will make manned aircraft obsolete. While new technologies are seductive, they cannot replace the human judgment required for strategic deterrence, a mission the B-21 is designed to fulfill for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalsecurityjournal.org ...
“human judgment required for strategic deterrence”
What does that even mean??
No, not while paying for all the other crap we do that is not a government function.
They’re going to be a lot cheaper than the B-2 Spirit. Those are $2.1 billion EACH. The B-21 Raider projected unit price is at $692 million each.
I know those are projected costs but they will still be fair cheaper.
“human judgment required for strategic deterrence”
What does that even mean??
It means that a computer can not be programmed to anticipate every conceivable challenge and problem and it takes a pilot to make the judgments. If you are serious about that question.
Aren’t drones piloted by humans?
“Can we even afford it?”
Nothing costs more than losing a war.
Actually, I don’t think that is what is means. Pilots do not make the call, command does. The same command that would command unmanned vehicles too.
> Can we even afford it? <
In 1941 Germany and the USSR got into a little spat. Germany emphasized quality over quantity. The USSR did just the opposite.
And we all know how that turned out.
Is there a lesson there? I’m not a field marshal, or even a general. So I dunno.
Increasingly they are not piloted by humans, many of them are, currently some of the more advanced drones have a basic AI element to them that can carry out missions without human interaction.
I read somewhere that some of the drones Ukraine used to take out Russian Strategic Bombers were programmed to recognize the type of aircraft to attack and where on the plane to hit all without human control.
“Quantity has a quality all of its own.”
Yes, hella hazy phrase...🧐🤔
I’ve wondered that. If you have a swarm of 300 drones striking a target are there 300 operators sitting in a command and communication center piloting them.
At $2.1 billion per copy, the B2 is less a military platform than it is a national treasure.
The asymmetric cost of drone fleets seems to become more attractive by the day.
“If you have a swarm of 300 drones striking a target are there 300 operators sitting in a command and communication center piloting them.”
No. The swarm can be programmed to go to a location then seek out targets that look like the intended target.
“pilot to make the judgments.”
Pilots make tactical judgements, not strategic.
Going all in on drones is a fool’s errand. As shown in Nazi Ukraine and Commie Russia they can be jammed. Any datalink will eventually be jammed.
Manned aircraft will never go away, and they never should.
Okay, to split hairs like you, I said not a word about strategic or tactical, unless you maintain strategic does not require judgment.
Beyond the initial price tag, the B2's are said to be extremely maintenance-intensive.
The B-21's should be MUCH easier to maintain. That and spare parts are where the real savings will be.
Strategic is rarely in-the-moment decision making.
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