The B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Is No ‘Battleship’

National Security Journal ^ | 7/14/2025 | Andrew Latham

[SPDSHDW]

That is ignoring the fact that Germany had multiple attackers and conquered land to defend, vs the Soviets that barely had food at the time, and one front to deal with.....

[Leaning Right]

> That is ignoring the fact… <

Oh, yes. There are many reasons why Nazi Germany lost the war. Waging war on multiple fronts, Hitler’s strategic stupidity, etc.

But the quality/quantity thing certainly played a part.

[airborne]

That helps, thanks.

[The Great RJ]

Consider the recent raid on Iran. There was no other means to deliver massive bunker buster ordinance than the B-2. However, I have wondered if the proposed kinetic energy weapons, the so called rods from God, using super dense materials delivered from orbit or by ICBM with a devastating punch are still being developed. That type of weapon could also have rendered the Iranian nuclear facility useless without the cost and logistics effort needed for the B-2 strike.

[pfflier]

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.

Yup. The bomber leg of the TRIAD is the only element of the 3 that can be recalled after launch. Once the ICBMs and SLBMs go, it's over. There is no magic self-destruct button like in the movies.

[VTenigma]

Nope

[blackpacific]

The B-2s had about a $35 billion dollar development cost associated with the development of an all aspect stealth platform. Each aircraft only cost about $600 million, but the cost of the development was only spread through 20 aircraft, that is where the $2 billion dollar price tag comes from. The whole program cost $44 billion, divided by 20 aircraft equals $2.1 billion. The B-21 will have similar development costs that will hopefully be spread through a large fleet, hopefully over 200 aircraft.

[Psalm 73]

That makes sense. But then we have the added benefit of reduced maintenance costs (better design).

I work maintenance planning engineering - there is nothing like being able to think the whole process through during design.

[xkaydet65]

So maybe resurrect Patton’s FUSAG cardboard and balloon army opposite Calais in ‘44.

[Libloather]

[Semper Vigilantis]

Manned aircraft will never go away, and they never should.

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