Speed Up B-21 Raider Production to Deter China Now

With China accelerating its nuclear weapons development and the Russia-China axis growing more aggressive by the month, America can’t afford to wait any longer. The second B-21 Raider, the most advanced stealth bomber ever built, has taken flight and now the Trump administration must double down. That means opening a second production line immediately.

Nicknamed “Spartan,” the second B-21 flew on September 11 from Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale plant to Edwards Air Force Base, marking a major milestone for the U.S. Air Force’s sixth-generation stealth bomber program. It joins “Cerberus,” the first flight-test article, in active testing. But with a dangerous world and dwindling bomber inventory, two planes are not enough. We’re running out of time.

The B-21 isn’t just an update it’s a revolution. This is America’s first sixth-generation warplane:

• Pure flying wing design with engines, fuel, and bomb bays seamlessly hidden inside.

• Advanced AI and flight control systems, including quad-redundant sensors for precise control at 50,000 feet.

• Next-generation stealth using carbon graphite composites and retractable lighting, making it virtually invisible in combat mode.

And yes, it even has a heat ring in the cockpit to warm up soup during 48-hour missions. Because American airmen deserve every comfort when striking terror into enemy bunkers on the other side of the world.

This isn’t theory it’s already operational. Multiple B-21s are in various stages of production in Palmdale, and the program has shocked even hardened Pentagon watchers by coming in 28% under budget across the past five years. In defense spending, that’s unheard of.

The days of leisurely peacetime procurement are over. The Obama-era Pentagon planned to buy just four to five B-21s a year a snail’s pace designed for a world that no longer exists.

Today:

• China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, aiming for at least 1,000 warheads by 2030 (DoD report, 2024).

• Russia just flew upgraded bombers in joint drills with Belarus, signaling growing military coordination.

• North Korea unveiled solid-fueled ICBMs, making preemptive detection nearly impossible.

And we’re sitting on only 19 B-2 stealth bombers, seven of which were just used in a single mission Operation Midnight Hammer to strike Iranian nuclear sites. That math doesn’t work for a nation expected to deter simultaneous threats from three nuclear-armed regimes.

We don’t need another Pentagon study. We need more bombers. Now.

Opening a second B-21 production line would:

• Double output, making 8–10 bombers a year possible instead of four.

• Strengthen the aerospace industrial base, fueling jobs and innovation across dozens of states.

• Ensure a credible strategic deterrent, ready to strike targets deep inside China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea on a moment’s notice.

President Trump has a golden opportunity here: take a successful, under-budget, ahead-of-schedule weapons system and go all in. The B-21’s stealth, range, and payload make it the centerpiece of both nuclear deterrence and conventional long-range strike. No other platform on Earth comes close.

Beijing’s H-6K bombers look like 1960s relics basically modified jetliners hauling missiles under their wings. Their radar signature is massive, their survivability is limited, and their deterrent value is weak.

By contrast, a single B-21 can carry nuclear or conventional payloads undetected across oceans, pierce the most sophisticated air defenses, and return without a scratch. That’s what real power projection looks like.

But it only works if we build them fast enough. America needs at least 150 B-21s to cover global requirements, and we need them before China decides to move on Taiwan or the Philippines.

The B-21 Raider is not just a bomber. It’s the tip of the spear a game-changing weapon system that can hold enemy assets at risk anywhere on Earth. And with “Spartan” and “Cerberus” already airborne, we’ve proven it works.

Now it’s time to build it at wartime speed.

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