Experts comment on America's latest B-21 stealth bomber

“The B-21 is a 21st century (weapon) in every sense, with superior stealth, avionics, sensors and propulsion,” said Malcolm Davis, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “It’s based on open architecture, so… it can be easily upgraded both in terms of software and hardware. It’s a little smaller than the (B-2 Spirit), but remember that weapons technology has also advanced since the late 1980s, and most importantly, it now has the ability to penetrate Chinese and Russian anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) networks undetected to deploy more advanced weapons.”

Senior expert Timothy Heath from the US RAND Corporation Research Center said that the advanced 6th generation stealth bomber will have a huge impact on the Asia-Pacific region.

The B-21 Raider was unveiled in California, but many details have yet to be revealed. Photo: Reuters

“The B-21 will give the United States greater flexibility in responding to operational contingencies in the Asia-Pacific,” he added. “For example, the United States no longer needs a base near Taiwan to send bombers to support a contingency near the self-ruled island. The B-21 will be able to conduct missions such as intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as support coordination with other aircraft. This makes the B-21 a valuable and flexible platform that will enhance the United States’ deterrence capabilities in the field.”

However, according to expert Davis, although China does not possess 6th generation aircraft, the country is said to be developing a new bomber called H-20 "similar to the US B-2A".

No information is available about the H-20, but the Pentagon estimates that it will have a “range of over 8,500km.” “Obviously China will be watching the B-21 very closely and may try to incorporate design principles into the H-20 or at least future versions of it,” Davis added. “It’s always a competition.”

Heath said China's missiles could help narrow the gap in strike capabilities, as "it has many long-range missiles, such as the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, that can perform a similar long-range strike mission that is very difficult to shoot down." However, Heath said that despite the B-21's advanced capabilities, there is a disadvantage: its high production cost, which could limit the number of aircraft produced.