By Kris Osborn, Warrior

The fast-arriving B-21 may be as mysterious as it is important to national security, and while many if not most of its attributes are “black” and not available for public discussion, there are several clear areas of performance likely informing the development of the stealth bomber. This is quite significant, as the bomber will not only need to exist in impactful numbers but also match or outperform the Chinese H-20. 

Bomber Speed and Agility

The B-21 may need a bit more speed and maneuverability than a B-2, given recent advances in Russian and Chinese air defenses; while public specs are not available for security reasons, the B-21 does appear more agile and more maneuverable than the B-2. Russian S-500s and Chinese HQ-9s can increasingly detect aircraft at longer ranges on a greater range of frequencies and connect to one another as digital nodes to “pass” along targeting specifics from one radar aperture to another. The idea is to establish a continuous “track” of an aircraft as it transits from one field of view to another, provided there is some kind of signal to pick up.  To counter these threats, the B-21 would doubtless benefit from a little speed and agility. Of course the bomber is not intended to function as a fighter, yet some measure of added speed and agility would enhance survivability and help enable the aircraft to quickly reposition as new targets emerge. 

Also, it certainly would appear possible that the B-21 is introducing a new generation of stealth technology, consisting of 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 a B-2 and a partial look at the back of the aircraft seems to show smaller or more integrated exhaust areas for heat dissipation. 

Sensing, Command and Control

The most impactful areas of the B-21, however, likely relate to what is less visible to the eye, as the bomber is likely built with an entirely new generation of computing and sensing.  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 information 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 on board 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 able to pool, gather, organize and essentially “translate” data between otherwise incompatible sensors and transport layers. This is done through the use of IP protocols and interfaces engineered to integrate data from different sources. 

B-21 Weapons

Since the beginning of conceptual work and subcomponent prototyping of the B-21, senior weapons developers have prioritized common IP protocol standards and open architecture for the bomber to ensure that it will be positioned to integrate new weapons and technologies as they become available. The idea is to ensure that the platform can upgrade and modernize as new innovations arrive in future years. For instance, not only will the bomber carry a full arsenal of existing weapons but its computing and fire control will be adaptable such that it can 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 a wider range of flexibility because a modern Mod 13 variant of the B-61 integrates several different types of bombs into a single form factor. One single bomb can be adjusted for penetrating attack, area detonation or other kinds of 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. 

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