A B-1 Lancer and a B-52 Stratofortress fly over Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in 2015. U.S. Air Force / Tech. Sgt. Ted Daigle
Maj. Shane Praiswater, Defense One: The Air Force Needs a New Non-Stealthy Bomber
There are important things the B-1 and B-52 do that the B-21 won’t.
In 1957, the U.S. military began to worry that the Soviet Union might have more strategic bombers than the United States. That fear of a “bomber gap” turned out to be baseless, but today, a dangerous gap is emerging between the long-range strike capacity America needs and what will be available once today’s bombers retire. If not addressed, this new bomber gap might leave the United States and its allies more vulnerable to aggression much sooner than people realize.
While China and Russia aggressively pursue anti-access/area-denial strategies, the ability of bombers to employ standoff weapons will remain a linchpin of any U.S. strategy. In a near-peer conflict, how well the United States can employ massive waves of bombers might very well be the difference between victory and defeat. Non-stealth bombers such as the B-1 and B-52 have an important role to play in A2/AD scenarios because they can carry so many standoff weapons.
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WNU Editor: The US Air Force still has a few years to decide on a new non-stealthy bomber. But they better move quickly. The B-1 and B-52 have only a few years left.
