Summary and Key Points: The B-21 Raider, the U.S. Air Force's next-generation stealth bomber, is under development with a staggering cost of $600 million per aircraft. This high price echoes the procurement challenges faced by its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, which saw its production drastically cut after the Cold War due to budget constraints.

-Initially expected to produce 130 B-2s, the Air Force ultimately received only 21, with costs exceeding $4 billion per aircraft in today’s dollars.

-As the Air Force plans for around 100 B-21s, history may repeat itself if rising costs lead to further cuts, potentially impacting U.S. strategic capabilities.

The B-21 Raider: Will High Costs Slash U.S. Air Force Plans?

Advanced weapons systems give their bearers specific battlefield advantages. Stealth aircraft, hypersonic missiles, aircraft carriers, drones, and other modern weapons can make the difference in a war. And they don’t come cheap.

The B-21 Raider strategic stealth bomber is currently under development for the U.S. Air Force, and the Raider is a great example of how advanced capabilities require high costs.

With a price tag as high as $600 million per aircraft, the B-21 Raider will be expensive. 

Will the cost be too high? The B-21’s predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, might hold the answer.

The B-2 Spirit: The Cold War, Costs, and Procurement

The Air Force initially anticipated a procurement of approximately 130 Spirit aircraft. But when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the biggest threat to U.S. national security was no more. 

As always happens during transitions from wartime to peace, the Department of Defense saw its budget slashed.

The Air Force only received twenty-one B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, less than one-sixth of the anticipated number. This yawning gap between planned and actual procurement was mainly due to the extremely high cost of the aircraft. In the end, the program ended up costing the Department of Defense – and the American taxpayer – approximately $87.5 billion in today’s dollars, or more than $4 billion per aircraft. 

This price tag includes design, development, testing, production, operations, and maintenance for the strategic stealth bomber. (Important qualification: The cost per aircraft would have been lower if it had gone into full production.) 

However good and groundbreaking the capabilities of the B-2 Spirit, such a high cost for a weapons system is hard to justify.

The B-2 Spirit is nearing the end of its operational life. The venerable stealth bomber might still look like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s getting old. The Air Force plans to decommission the B-2 fleet by the next decade. Its replacement, the B-21, will take over strategic bombing missions. 

But will it face a similar fate?

The B-21 Raider Nightmare: A Cust in Overall Bombers Built 

The Air Force anticipates a need for about 100 B-21 Raiders. Northrop Grumman, who as manufacturer has a vested interest in producing more aircraft, recommends a program of at least 200 aircraft. 

With an anticipated cost of around $600 million per aircraft, the Air Force is looking at an overall cost of $60 billion on the lower end, and $120 billion on the higher end. Consider for the sake of reference that the Air Force has requested a budget of $217.5 billion for Fiscal Year 2025.

The U.S. military is facing more challenges in the future, and not fewer as was the case when the B-2 Spirit was starting off. But if history is a guide, the Pentagon will end up slashing the number of B-21 Raider bombers it procures. 

About the Author: 

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

Image Credit: Creative Commons.