The B-21 is probably the most sophisticated bomber we have today. It can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, travel long distances and is stealth. In the video above, they talk about the obvious features of the plane, but they don’t go into a lot of the technical stuff, which is understandable.
Someone at the local TV station thought they were being smart by hiring a Cessna and flying above the Bomber on its rollout day in hopes they could get a look at the plane from behind. Even though the airspace is open, certain parts are under government control. These people that made the decision to take pictures from the rear of the plane were lucky that the airspace above the plane wasn’t listed as a no-fly zone. Evidently, there is nothing to see in the rear.
When Grumman first rolled out the plane in the video above with all the fancy lighting, I am sure someone got the idea that they could make national news if they could show more of the plane. Getting inside the plane to see the avionics would be a big deal and although they didn’t say anything about any guns onboard, I would bet my farm that this plane has some type of guns that are well hidden and are only engaged when needed. When the guns are retracted, I am also sure they are well covered and hidden.
I have no idea how many of these bombers are sitting in our hangars, but I think probably 2-3 of them could destroy a city the size of New York in less than 30 minutes. I remember back in 1990, my Colonel told me to bring my “go bag” to the office the next day, but he wouldn’t tell me why. We were in San Diego at the time. The next morning when the Colonel came into the office, he came right to my desk and told me to “grab your bag and follow me.”
We walked out to the hangar area and there was a small business jet sitting there, which we boarded. An hour or so later, we were landing out in the desert. I hadn’t followed our track, so I wasn’t sure where we were, but if I had to guess, I would have said MZJ (Mariana, AZ) or Pinal Airpark. I later found out, I was right. This is where the military and commercial jets are stored or what is referred to as “The Boneyard.” After we got off the plane, a shuttle picked us up and drove us to an area where six retired bombers were. I never seen these planes or recognized them.
The Colonel looked at me and said “there sits almost $6 billion in taxpayer money and these planes will never fly. What the hell do you (me) think we should do with them? We need to get them out of here.” I told him that I would need a few days to come up with a plan. This was on a Tuesday. He said “ok, I’ll look for your report on my desk before I leave the office on Friday.” I went back to the office, made a few phone calls and just like that, the planes were gone. I can’t go beyond that.