Commentary
The B-2 Spirit bomber first flew on July 17, 1989, yet each of the seven extensively modernized B-2 bombers participating in the successful strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons did something the B-21 Raider will never be able to do—each dropped two 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. That’s right, the B-21, which is projected to take over B-2 duties in the early 2030s, can carry only one GBU-57. That it can carry only one is actually a pretty big deal and is a reason to consider having the incredibly capable B-2 join the heavily modernized 1950s-era B-52s in protecting U.S. interests for decades to come.
