Source: US Air Force
Northrop GrummanNYSE: NOC) on Friday launched the B-21 Raider, a long-range bomber that is a central part of the Pentagon’s strategy against China. The US Air Force conducted an incident at a military base in northern Los Angeles Angeles to preview its first new bomber in over 30 years.
The cost of each stealth aircraft is not known, although the Air Force set the price for the purchase of 100 aircraft at $ 550 million a piece in 2010. That price is equivalent to $ 692 million today, the Air Force said in a statement. The Department of Defense has not disclosed its exact cost.
The B-21 has flapping wings and is similar to the aging B-2 Spirit nuclear bomber, which Northrop (NOC) has been building since the 1980s. before passing through the enemy’s weapons.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were among 600 people invited to attend the unveiling at the Northrop facility (NOC) in Palmdale, California. Passengers had to hand over their phones to security and were kept about 75 meters from the plane. Photographers were forbidden to take pictures of the bomber from low angles.
The B-21 is expected to be deployed in the middle of the next decade as part of a $1 trillion overhaul of the US nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon’s plan includes nuclear weapons and cruise missiles to counter China’s nuclear proliferation. The country could have 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035, according to the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress.
China is “investing in and expanding the number of its nuclear delivery platforms on land, sea and air and building the infrastructure necessary to support the significant expansion of its nuclear capabilities,” the report said.
The Air Force Budget for 2023 requests $1.8 billion for the new bomber and $19.4 billion through the 2027 budget. The B-21 requires at least $203 billion to develop, buy and operate 100 aircraft over 30 years, Bloomberg News reported, citing statistics provided by the Air Force.
During Q3, Northrop’s ( NOC ) revenue rose 3.2% from a year earlier to $9 billion. The company said it expects to end the year with revenue at the end of its guidance of about $36.2 billion to $36.6 billion and earnings of $24.50 to $25.10 a share.
Northrop (NOC) stock this year rose 38% through Dec. 1, compared to a 15% decline in the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index (SP500).
Seeking Alpha supporter Dhierin Bechai has a Buy rating on Northrop ( NOC ) for its aerospace and defense pipeline. Author Leo Nelissen recommends investors Buy Northrop’s (NOC) stock on any weakness.
Source: US Air Force
