Key Points and Summary – America’s B-21 Raider will redefine long-range strike—deployable to Europe or the Indo-Pacific and teamed with B-52 “missile truck” standoff fires—yet it must beat increasingly dense Russian and Chinese air defenses.
-Russia’s layered S-300/400/500 network and China’s HQ-9, HQ-19, and HQ-22 families are highlighted as the principal threats, with long ranges, advanced seekers, and integrated radars designed to blunt stealth.
–The Counter: B-21’s very-low observability, electronic warfare, and surprise, plus joint suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) using standoff weapons and future NGAD/F-47 support. U.S. forces are even training against foreign-system replicas to refine routes, jamming, and tactics for penetrating multi-threat environments.
How the Enemy Will Try to Stop the B-21 Raider
The B-21 Raider, when it fully enters active duty, will transform the U.S. Air Force. This ultra-stealth sixth-generation bomber will feature capabilities not seen before in any American ground strike aircraft.
There will be at least 100 produced, and it will give the Air Force the ability to destroy targets, anytime, anywhere. It could be better than the B-2 Spirit, itself an immensely valuable warbird.
The B-21 could emulate the B-2 and have the range to menace nuclear infrastructure in Iran. The B-21 could be forward deployed in Guam, South Korea, or Japan to use these bases as a jumping-off point to attack China should a potential conflict arise with the Middle Kingdom.
It could also be sent to Europe to protect NATO and deter Russian actions against alliance members.
Don’t Forget the B-52
The Raider will also fly with the B-52, itself a massive missile truck that can fire at least four types of stand-off munitions that create an effective one-two punch in strategic warfare that includes operational and tactical advantages.
Will the B-21 Raider Be Better Than the B-2?
But just how could the B-21 be stopped? Enemy air defenses would have to spot it and track it first.
That didn’t happen with the B-2 when it flew undetected during the effective strikes against Iranian nuclear sites. No bomber was lost after the attack eliminated the ability for Iran to enrich uranium to weapons-grade.
Right Up Front B-2 Bomber USAF Museum. Image by Harry J. Kazianis/National Security Journal.
The B-21 will be able to conduct these types of missions with impunity should they be called into service by the Commander-in-Chief.
The B-21 will thus be a presidential asset that can deliver acute damage without the need for boots on the ground. The B-21 is also nuclear-capable, giving Department of Defense leadership the option to deploy nuclear warheads if needed. Plus, the Raider can collect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data.
What Russian Air Defenses Bring to the Table
China and Russia are aware of this spectacular airplane and are scratching their heads on how to stop it. Russia depends on the road mobile S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system. This is an upgrade to the famed S-300 SAM that has been so effective over the decades. The S-400 can track up to 100 targets at once and engage 36 bogeys. The Russians believe the S-400 is better than America’s highly valued Patriot defense system.
The Triumf has a range of 249 miles. It is unclear how well the S-400 would perform against the ultra-stealthy B-21, but it may struggle to detect the radar-evading bomber.
The Russian S-500 represents a significant upgrade in capability and performance. Nicknamed the Prometheus, the S-500 has Putin’s generals promising that no enemy airplane can attack Moscow or Russian nuclear sites.
The S-500 was explicitly designed to take out stealth airplanes.
This is the biggest worry for the B-21. The S-500 SAM is often deployed in a layered array with S-300s and S-400s, creating an excellent anti-ballistic missile and anti-aircraft umbrella deployed around critical targets.
The B-21 would have to be at the top of its game to penetrate this multi-threat environment.
China Has Three Excellent SAM Systems
China has the long-range HQ-9, the new HQ-19, and the ultra-long-range HQ-22. Each system is tough to avoid, and the B-21 would have its work cut out to penetrate these defenses.
The HQ-9 could be compared to the Russian S-300. This is a bedrock SAM that China needs to work effectively at all times should they hope to shoot down a bomber like the B-21. HQ-9 interceptors are fired from road mobile launchers.
The HQ-9 depends on a Track-Via-Missile (TVM) terminal guidance system. HQ-9 interceptors are two-stage systems. Each projectile can speed along at MACH 4+. There is also a naval system.
The HQ-19 is China’s pride and joy and the most challenging system for the B-21 to avoid. This is a counterpart to the U.S. THAAD missile defender and will be highly effective against Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps airplanes. The HQ-19 is a large improvement over the HQ-9. “The HQ-19 is armed with a dual-purpose exosphere kinetic kill vehicle,” according to ArmyRecognition.com.
Early warning for the HQ-19 is provided by the X-band phased array radar designed for tracking enemy ballistic missiles, but could be used effectively against the B-21, which flies much slower. The interceptor uses a “side-window infrared seeker.”
The HQ-22 is a mid-level system designed to take out ballistic missiles and drones that the HQ-9 and HQ-19 miss. HQ-22 interceptors use long-range semi-active radar homing and radio-command guidance. A U.S. defense contractor is creating a replica of the HQ-22, allowing Americans to rehearse flying against it.
This intelligence will likely be shared with the B-21 Raider program.
“The HQ-22 decoy follows the same principle, giving aircrews and electronic warfare teams the opportunity to practice detection, targeting, and engagement in scenarios that replicate the radar signatures, visual profiles, and operational layouts of foreign-made air defenses,” according to Defence-Blog.com.
Rehearse to Penetrate Multi-threat Environments
As you can see, the B-21 will have its work cut out for it. Russia and China believe they are ready for the next-generation bomber. U.S. Air Force battle planners will have to depend on the Raider’s stealth and early warning systems.
Electronic Warfare jamming and counter-measures on the B-21 must work to perfection if the B-21 is to be a Day One airplane that suppresses enemy air defenses.
The B-21 will have the numbers and the ability to be forward-deployed in Europe and East Asia. The Americans could create a bombing attack with the future F-47 NGAD that would help take out enemy SAM systems.
Recall that Iran never detected the B-2 and that survivability was based on strategic and tactical surprise. The Americans reckon that the B-21 can make it through enemy air defenses, sneaking past even the best SAMs from Russia and China. That will be the ultimate test for the B-21.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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TruthB Told
September 16, 2025 at 11:24 am
The B52 is scheduled to go out of service in 2052. 100 yrs in service. Will the current bomber fleet be flying that long?