In Episode 128 of the Aerospace Advantage, The B-21 Imperative: America’s Deterrence Bomber, John Baum chats with Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.) and Col Mark Gunzinger, USAF (Ret.) about the USAF’s newest combat aircraft.

The ability to conduct long-range strikes anywhere, anytime in large numbers has been a decisive U.S. military advantage for more than 70 years. Today, this dominance is severely diminished given capacity cuts and deferred modernization. Today’s inventory of aging B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s is a third of the size of the nation’s 1989 bomber force. This inventory is simply too small and lacks the attributes necessary to fly against modern threats. The good news is the Air Force will soon field the B-21 Raider, the world’s most advanced stealthy bomber. The continuing challenge will be to ensure the B-21 program is resourced to rapidly acquire an inventory that meets operational demands. We can’t repeat the same kind of budget-driven decisions that cut nearly all the service’s advanced combat aircraft purchases since the Cold War. Join us to learn about what it will take to make B-21 succeed.