B-21 Raider: What is the ability of the new American fighter plane against enemies? Did the US air force last week launch its modern nuclear...

B-21 Raider: What is the ability of the new American fighter plane against enemies?

Did the US air force last week launch its modern nuclear-capable B-21 Raider aircraft? It has been described as 'very capable' of war. 

Here are some things about the plane that you should know.

Cost

The US Air Force plans to buy at least 100 of the B-21s, which cost $700m per plane, a Northrop Grumman spokesman said. The United States aims to buy this plane to replace the planes that were used during the cold war.

Nuclear Weapons

This plane has the ability to carry nuclear and other conventional weapons. It has the ability to hide itself so that it is not seen by the radar and this feature makes it very dangerous for other attack planes in the battlefield.

As expected, the specifics of the aircraft are still shrouded in secrecy.

But US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said it was "a testament to America's enduring advantage in innovation and innovation".

Mr Austin said the aircraft would provide a significant advance against the US military's existing attack aircraft, saying that "even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect the B-21 in the air".

"Fifty years of advances in invisible technology have gone into this aircraft," he said.

 Weapons of the future

He added that the plane was also built with an "open system architecture," which allows for the incorporation of "new weapons that haven't even been invented yet."

Although the possibility of a drone flight was not mentioned during the event, a US Air Force spokesman said the aircraft "has been raised for the possibility, but there has been no decision to fly without a pilot".

The first flight of the B-21 is expected to take place next year.

It will eventually replace the B-1 and B-2 jets, which are estimated to cost $203bn (£165bn) to develop, buy and operate over 30 years, according to Bloomberg.

Six aircraft are currently in production, the manufacturer said, adding that they will feature "the next generation of stealth" and that they use unspecified "new manufacturing techniques and materials".

The US Air Force plans to buy about 100 aircraft.

Enemy' planes

Moscow and Beijing are also currently developing strategic fighter jets - China's Xian H-20 and Russia's nuclear-capable Tupolev PAK DA - that are expected to compete with the B-21.

Although the B-21 is capable of taking off without a pilot, the US Air Force said the aircraft "has been raised as a possibility, but no decision has been made to fly without a pilot".