B-21 Stealth Bomber Will Control Drones & Operate as “Sky Sensor”

By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior

(Washington DC) The sleek, stealthy looking bat-like design of the emerging B-21 stealth bomber is understandably generating interest in the mysterious and largely “secretive” new program, yet developers and senior Pentagon leaders have been clear to emphasize some of its intended missions and corresponding Concepts of Operation.

The B-21 Raider is now entering Low Rate Initial Production in anticipation of fully production in coming months, and the manufacturing process is certain to remain focused on the technologies being built into the bomber in support of its anticipated operational scope.

Eluding enemy air defenses to penetrate and attack hostile targets is of course its high-valued mission, and for years many Air Force leaders and weapons developers have made it clear that the B-21 Raider incorporates new, paradigm-changing dimensions of stealth technology.

B-21 Intelligence Node and Drones

Beyond its stealthy design and bomb attack mission scope, the B-21 platform will also operate as a critical sensor or “intelligence” node in the sky, functioning as a multi-domain, networked “gateway” point at which to collect, process, analyze and transmit vast pools of time-sensitive, combat relevant information.

Of course specific mission details, concepts of operations or technological capabilities of the B-21 remain mysterious and largely unavailable for security reasons, as it is a largely “black” or secret program, the bomber will likely function as an indispensable data processing and transmission node within a broader, integrated multi-domain combat network.

Senior Air Force leaders have said the B-21 will not only fly unmanned systems itself but also control drones from the air as well.

At the unveiling of the first B-21 almost two years ago, former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown (Brown is now Joint Chiefs of Staff) explained some of these “concepts of operation” expected to inform the B-21s mission scope.