The New B-21 Bomber: Under Fire Before It Can Even Take Flight
By Mackenzie Eaglen
September 18, 2016
Tomorrow, the Air Force will unveil the name of its new B-21 bomber at the annual Air Force Association AirSpaceCyber Conference. The bomber program has been progressing well, but critics have already painted a target on its back so large you could sail an Ohio-class sub or fly a Joint Strike Fighter through it. The Navy and, to a lesser extent, the Army enjoy built-in constituencies active around Washington making the case for a bigger fleet and more soldiers. Not so the U.S. Air Force.
Though the Air Force recently saw a misguided controversy erupt over the program’s cost and oversight, this political conflagration misses the forest for the trees by underestimating the potential value of the new bomber. This aircraft will do so much more than replace B-52H Stratofortresses, B-1B Lancers, and B-2A Spirits as a long-range bomb-toting stealth aircraft and a crucial leg of the nuclear triad.
http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2016/09/18/the_new_b-21_bomber_under_fire_before_it_can_even_take_flight_110080.html
