The Bomber Will Always Get Through: The Origin of the B-21 Stealth Bomber
Abstract
The aim of this dissertation is to explain why and how the United States decided to build the B-21stealth bomber. The B-21 Raider is the most recent endeavor to find a worthy successor (though not, strictly speaking, a replacement) for the B-52 Stratofortress. The B-21s immediate predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, was conceived over forty years ago with the same purpose in mind. Understanding why and how the B-2 came to life, and how and why it fell far short of its intended production goal, offers insights into its successor, theB-21. By conducting a comparative analysis of the B-2 and the B-21 via the four dominant forces found in the defense acquisition literature bureaucratic politics, technology, politics, and strategic need it was found that neither program could begin until all of the forces were in alignment. And in the case of the B-2,it was discovered that when those forces fell out of alignment, the program was subsequently terminated. While it cannot be known how successful the B-21 program will be, thus far, the program has exhibited signs of institutional learning from the B-2 programs early demise, which portends it will not suffer the same fate. Given the historical contribution of this study and its associated findings, this research will be of particular interest to defense acquisition professionals, military elites, Congress, scholars, and students of history, among others.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1184697
Entities
People
- Adam B. Young
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School