On the 11th of last month, the American B-21 "Raider" bomber completed its first flight, marking that the fighter has entered the "quasi-service" stage and is about to be launched. This news has caused widespread concern and controversy. The United States has made a lot of reports on the fighter, emphasizing its leading edge compared with the existing ** of China and Russia, and believes that it is "the world's first 6th generation fighter", marking a significant increase in the manufacturing level of American air combat. However, some American politicians and ** expressed dissatisfaction with the high cost of the B-21 and doubted whether it would live up to the expected level.
It is understood that the procurement cost of the B-21 is as high as 246 billion US dollars, and the specific number of purchases has not yet been determined, which is expected to be 80 to 100 aircraft. This means that each B-21 will cost more than $700 million, which has some members of Congress concerned about its expensive **. In order to push the procurement bill through, U.S. Senator Mike Lowndes and others lobbied Congress, and one of the sentences attracted widespread attention: "Russia and China cannot detect the latest 'Peace**' B-21 bomber in the United States." ”
In response to this statement, Russian military expert Alexander Mikhailov expressed his opinion about the B-21 bomber, as well as the statements of parliamentarians.
Mikhailov began by noting that the B-21 did not reach more successful goals than its predecessor, the B-2 bomber, since it was built at a unit price that was too expensive. If each B-21 costs between $7 and $800 million, then it is not fundamentally different from the B-2 bomber. This is also the reason why some lawmakers have tried to exaggerate the "terrible" of the B-21, claiming that China and Russia cannot cope with this kind of fighter.
Mikhailov further said that Russia has built several meter-wave radar stations capable of easily detecting stealth aircraft, hypersonics** and general flight equipment at a distance of up to 600 kilometers. If the B-21 does not technically surpass the B-2, then they will be detected at this distance by the aircraft's airborne radar and the radar of ground systems. Judging by the current indications, the B-21 does not go beyond this, so it is difficult to pose a threat to Russia. Mikhailov also noted that China is equipped with a similar radar system, and there is no evidence that the B-21 is capable of evading detection and surveillance by China and Russia.
To sum up, Russia ** concluded: according to the data published by the American side, the B-21 and B-2, in addition to some details of the appearance layout, only claimed to have adopted a "new generation of stealth coating" in the field of stealth materials. Therefore, it can be assumed that the B-21 is still within the detection range of the Chinese and Russian special radars.
Based on observations and speculations, the targets for the use of the B-21 bomber may have certain limitations. In the case of the U.S. use of the B-2 bomber, it can be found that most of the targets it attacks are small countries, which may mean that the use of the B-21 will also be limited by certain frameworks. In addition, the Pentagon has not officially released the rhetoric of "ignoring the Chinese and Russian spending", which only exists in the fantasies of some congressmen.
Based on the above views and analysis, it can be concluded that although the B-21 bomber has certain advanced technology and stealth capabilities, its threat and advantages may be severely limited within the detection range of the special radars of China and Russia. Therefore, for China and Russia, dealing with the B-21 is not an impossible task.
In the current international security situation, it is particularly important for countries to develop and respond to new types of fighters and aircraft. As a new strategic bomber for the United States, the B-21 has received widespread attention and controversy. However, according to Russian military expert Alexander Mikhailov, the B-21 did not reach the expected level and could hardly pose a threat to China and Russia.
As an observer of international politics, I believe that it is normal for countries to compete and improve their defense capabilities. Each new type has its advantages and limitations, and it needs to be developed and tested for a long time before it can be truly powerful.
In addition, with the development of science and technology, the nature of war is also changing. Traditional large-scale conflicts are no longer the mainstream, and new forms of warfare, such as information warfare, cyber warfare, and asymmetric warfare, are emerging. Therefore, it is one-sided to look at the threat of a certain new type of **, and we also need to pay attention to other aspects of military technology and strategy.
In short, the advent of the B-21 bomber will undoubtedly have an impact on the international arms race and security landscape, and its real threat remains to be tested by time. In the face of such a situation, all countries should remain calm and cautious, and strengthen cooperation and communication on international security in order to maintain regional and world peace and stability.