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Rumors about a new US Army fighter jet have been circulating for months. Animations and drawings showed the image of a futuristic-looking fighter jet. Not much was really known.
Now the Northrop Grumman B-21 “Raider” has been spotted in public for the first time. Last Friday, the long-range strategic bomber completed its first test flight. Amateur videos show the ‘Raider’ taking off from a military airfield in the US state of California.
This showed that the futuristic animations actually correspond to reality. It is a flying wing, an aircraft without a traditional fuselage. The B-2 “Spirit”, the predecessor of the B-21, also came without a fuselage.
“Advanced systems”
Although the latest model looks almost the same as its 34-year-old predecessor, manufacturer Northrop Grumman changed the entire interior. The ‘Raider’ has ‘unprecedented stealth properties’, the manufacturer writes on its website, without going into further detail. Enemy radar systems should be able to be deceived in this way.
The “Raider” should also have “advanced precision systems for offensive attacks,” as the website says. This probably refers to modern attack systems. The manufacturer claims that the ‘Raider’ will also be able to carry nuclear weapons and ‘hit targets anywhere in the world’.
According to “The War Zone” portal, the first model bears the name “Cerberus” on a landing gear door – a reference to the Greek hellhound that guards the entrance to the underworld. The “Raider” also dragged a long cable behind it during its flight. Presumably this was used to collect data from various sensors.
Mysterious shafts
According to initial findings, the plane is not particularly large. According to the evaluation of the first flight images, it is about 17 meters long and has a wingspan of about 42 meters. There is currently no precise information from the manufacturer.
During the first flight, analysts also noticed small shafts on the edges of the wings. In the future, these could be used for smaller secondary weapons, such as drones or small missiles. There are also shafts at the front of the aircraft that can be used to improve air supply to the engines, it is believed.
According to the US military, the “Raider” will one day replace its predecessors, the B-2 and B-1. According to Pentagon sources, the plan is to purchase about 100 units. A copy of the ‘Raider’ would cost approximately $620 million. This is significantly cheaper than the unit price of its predecessor, which cost approximately $2 billion per unit. That’s why only 21 were made.
Use from 2025?
According to a US Air Force spokeswoman, further test flights and possible improvements are planned in the coming months. It is unclear exactly what the aircraft will look like. Experts suspect that there will be some changes to the final model.
From 2025, the bombers will be gradually integrated into the existing fleet and replace their predecessors.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
