Capable of carrying out nuclear strikes and equipped with stealth technology

At a cost of $700 million, America unveils its new B-21 stealth bomber

The B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more than 3 decades.

Reuters

The United States unveiled its new stealth strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, which can operate without a crew and is capable of carrying out long-range nuclear strikes, in addition to using conventional weapons.

The unveiling ceremony of the meticulously designed aircraft at Northrop Grumman's B-21 manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif., opened with the US national anthem as vintage bombers flew over a crowd of senior US officials.

As the hangar doors slowly opened, the crowd applauded as the tarp was pulled back, revealing a sleek gray bomber that could cost $700 million per unit.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during the ceremony that the B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more than three decades.

Austin praised the plane's range, saying, "No long-range bomber can match it in efficiency."

Like the F-22 and F-35 warplanes, the B-21 is equipped with stealth technology that allows it to limit its impact.

"Even the most advanced air defense systems will have difficulty detecting the B-21 in the sky," Austin said.

Austin added that the plane was also built with an "open system architecture" that allows for the integration of "new weapons that have not even been invented yet."

"(B-21) not only has a dual capability that allows it to strike with nuclear missiles and conventional weapons, but it can also launch long and short-range missiles," said Amy Nelson of the Brookings Institution.

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