• The B-21 nuclear stealth bomber, which will gradually replace aircraft initially used during the Cold War, has been presented by the US Air Force.
• The aircraft would provide considerable improvements over current bombers in the US fleet.

The first brand-new bomber in 30 years might cost close to $700 million (£569 million) each and be equipped to carry both nuclear and conventional missiles. As may be expected, little is known about the aircraft's precise specifications.

 However, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, it was 'a monument to America's lasting advantages in intellect and innovation.' At a ceremony held on Friday at the Northrop Grumman facility in California, the B-21 Raider was unveiled.

Even the most advanced air defence systems 'would struggle to locate the B-21 in the sky,' according to Mr. Austin, who claimed the aircraft would provide considerable improvements over current bombers in the US fleet.

He said, 'Fifty years of low-observable technology advancements have gone into this aircraft.' The 'open system design' of the aircraft, he continued, enables for the adoption of 'new weaponry that haven't even been conceived.' Although it was not addressed during the event, the aircraft was 'provisioned for the possibility, but there has not been a decision to fly without a crew,' according to a US Air Force spokeswoman. 

It's anticipated that a B-21 will fly for the first time in 2019. It will eventually replace the B-1 and B-2 aircraft, and Bloomberg estimates that it will cost $203 billion (£165 billion) to build, acquire, and operate the fleet over a 30-year period. The manufacturer stated that six planes are now being produced and that they would have the 'next generation of stealth' as well as some 'new manufacturing techniques and materials.' 

At least 100 of the planes will be purchased by the US Air Force. As it transitions from the counterterrorism operations of recent decades to keep up with China's quick military development, the Pentagon is working to update all three components of its nuclear triad, which also includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched bombs.

According to the Pentagon's annual China report released this week, China is on track to have 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035 and its advances in hypersonic technology, cyber warfare, and space capabilities pose “the most significant and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system.”