Will the B-21's next-gen stealth defeat advanced Russian S-500 air defenses? New tactics and technology are key to its survival and mission success.
By Kris Osborn, Warrior
It is said that the famous, yet never-to-exist XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber did not advance beyond an initial prototype phase due to the rapid technological capabilities being built into Russian and Chinese air defense systems. Indeed that may have been part of the calculus, as Russian built S-400 and S-500 air defenses have in recent years been massively upgraded. Increasingly modernized ground-based surface-to-air-missile systems can detect aircraft at much farther ranges on a greater number of frequencies, network target track detail between digitally connected “nodes” and even detect some kinds of stealth platforms.
Russian air defenses vs stealth
For many years now, state-backed Russian media has claimed, for example, that its S-500 air defenses can track, detect and destroy stealth aircraft such as an F-35, F-22 or B-2 bomber. This claim has yet to be verified, yet the Pentagon has in recent years not surprisingly been upgrading its stealth platforms with new sensors, radar absorbent coating materials and new methods of thermal management to outpace the growing threat to stealth platforms. Perhaps of greatest significance, growing threats to stealth platforms likely inspired some of the next-generation stealth characteristics now being built into the mysterious, “black” B-21 program. Years ago, the Air Force developed the B-21 with a measure of confidence that the platform could hold any target at risk, anywhere in the world … at any time.
More than ten years ago, when early conceptual and sub-component work was being done on the B-21 and sweeping upgrades of the B-2 were underway, former Commander of Air Force Materiel Command Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski told me that stealth was merely “one arrow in the quiver” of overall survivability. This strategic approach defined or understood air survivability within a broad context of variables including speed, heat signature, aerial agility, sensing and manned-unmanned teaming. Therefore, not only has stealth itself likely evolved to paradigm-changing new levels to position the B-21 against the most modern and future air defenses, but the Concepts of Operation and tactics have adjusted to better enable stealth bombers to elude or destroy advanced enemy air defenses. This is almost certainly one reason why the B-21 is emerging as a multi-role, multi-domain bomber and command and control “node” in the sky.
Russian S-500s and Chinese HQ-9s can increasingly detect aircraft at greater ranges across a broader range of frequencies and connect as digital nodes to pass targeting specifics from one radar aperture to another. Russian built S-500s, S-300 and S-400 air defense weapons, believed by many to be among the best in the world, are able to use digital technology to network “nodes” to one another to pass tracking and targeting data across wide swaths of terrain. New air defenses also use advanced command and control technology to detect aircraft across a much wider spectrum of frequencies than previous systems could.
The idea is to establish a continuous track of an aircraft as it transits from one field of view to another, provided there is a signal to pick up.
To counter these threats, the B-21 may operate with a bit of additional speed and agility.
Of course, the bomber is not intended to function as a fighter. Yet, added speed and agility would enhance survivability and enable the aircraft to reposition as new targets emerge quickly.
Also, it certainly appears possible that the B-21 is introducing a new generation of stealth technology, comprising advanced thermal management, radar-absorbing materials, and a newly designed, blended, rounded, smooth wing-body fuselage configuration.
The engine inlets are more rounded and smoothly blended into the fuselage than those of a B-2. A partial view of the aircraft’s rear suggests smaller or more integrated exhaust areas for heat dissipation.
Stealth technology works by engineering an aircraft with external contours and heat signatures designed to elude detection from enemy radar systems. The absence of defined edges, noticeable heat emissions, weapons hanging on pylons or other easily detectable aircraft features, means that radar "pings" can have trouble receiving a return electromagnetic signal allowing them to identify an approaching bomber. Since the speed of light (electricity) is known, and the time of travel of electromagnetic signals can be determined as well, computer algorithms are then able to determine the precise distance of an enemy object.
However, when it comes to stealth aircraft, the return signal may be either non-existant or of an entirely different character than that of an actual aircraft. A stealth aircraft will, for instance, appear in the shape of a bird or insect to enemy radar.
Given the increased threat envelope created by cutting edge air defenses, and the acknowledgement that stealth aircraft are indeed much more vulnerable than when they first emerged, Air Force developers are increasingly viewing stealth capacity as something which includes a variety of key parameters.
Senior Pentagon leaders have been clear that the B-21 will control drones from the cockpit and function as a flying, multi-domain command-and-control node in the sky, gathering, analyzing, and transmitting time-sensitive combat intelligence across multiple domains in real time.
The bomber can not only deliver ordnance as needed but also direct drones to conduct surveillance, attack air defenses, or even deliver munitions when directed by a human.
The B-21’s AI-enabled onboard computing will need to perform analytics at the point of collection, streamline information, and quickly identify moments of relevance for nearby aircraft, fighter jets, ground-based command and control, and even surface ships as needed.
This requires technologies often referred to as gateways—systems that pool, gather, organize, and essentially translate data between otherwise incompatible sensors and transport layers.
B-21 Weapons
The bomber will likely carry a full arsenal of existing weapons, but its computing and fire control systems will be adaptable, allowing it to accommodate future weapons as well.
What is known so far is that the B-21 will fly with the latest Mod 12 and Mod 13 variants of the classic B-61 nuclear bomb. This will allow crews and decision-makers to operate with greater flexibility, as a modern Mod 13 variant of the B-61 integrates multiple bomb types into a single form factor.
A single bomb can be adjusted for penetrating attack, area detonation, or other blast effects as required by the mission.
The aircraft will also carry the dual-purpose Long Range Stand Off Weapon, or LRSO, a cruise missile capable of targeting and destroying air defenses from stand-off ranges.
The weapon can be used as a conventional or nuclear weapon
B-21 “node” in Sky
This means the B-21 will not only have new generations of long-range sensors, AI-enabled computing and unprecedented stealth properties, but it will also operate with an ability to control unmanned systems from safer stand-off ranges, securely share information across air, land, surface and space domains and “jam” or thwart ground-based radar detection. Forward operating unmanned systems, operated by a B-21 functioning as an airborne manned command and control center, can blanket enemy air defenses with surveillance, jam signals from the air or even attack and destroy ground targets without human pilots being placed at risk.
Additionally, high-fidelity long range sensors operating on the B-21 and its wingman drones, fortified by AI-enabled target verification, will increasingly be able to help the B-21 know where ground-based air defenses are. Once their location is identified, and their ranges, networking and targeting dynamics are understood, B-21s could be in position to “elude” them and achieve their tactical aims.
B-21 built to upgrade
There is yet another element of this related to continued B-21 modernization, because the platform has for years been engineered with open architecture – a series of common IP protocols, standards and interfaces – designed to ensure the platform can quickly accommodate new technologies as they emerge. In practical effect, this means new software, weapons, fire control, sensing and computing can easily be added without there being a need to reconfigure hardware.
Ultimately, the aim of broadband stealth is to penetrate enemy airspace, conduct clandestine, high-altitude attack missions and exit hostile areas without an enemy even knowing it was there. It certainly seems plausible that the B-21 may be positioned to achieve this tactical objective despite the continued modernization of Russian and Chinese air defenses.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University