NEW DELHI: The US recently showed off its newest nuclear stealth bomber -- the B-21 Raider -- lifting the veil on a secret long-range jet that experts believe will be a central element in Washington’s effort to keep China in check.The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber aircraft in more than 30 years. Almost every aspect of the program is classified.Defence analysts said the plane has been designed to break through and evade Chinese radars, air defence systems and release its payload of missiles and bombs on sensitive ground targets before flying back.“The B-21’s edge will last for decades,” said defense secretary Lloyd Austin as the jet was unveiled for the first time publicly at an event on December 2 at the Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California.Weapon of deterrenceFar from being seen as an offensive weapon, the new aircraft is being hailed as the ultimate deterrence.Judged to be more advanced than China’s and Russia’s under-development H-20 and PAK-DA stealth bombers, there is considerable consternation in Beijing and Moscow over the Raider’s capabilities.Austin said the US is building a more lethal force as part of efforts to make sure China doesn’t dominate the Indo-Pacific region the way it intends to."China is the only country with both the will and, increasingly, the power to reshape its region and the international order to suit its authoritarian preferences,” said Austin, adding: “So let me be clear -- we’re not going to let that happen.”Austin said the US would “sustain and sharpen war-fighting advantages” and bolster its force presence “to build a more lethal, mobile and distributed force posture".He cited the B-21 stealth bomber as a key element of its deterrence strategy.Northrop Grumman, the company that developed the B-21 Raider, said the aircraft ..
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