America has warned China that ‘today is not the day to start World War III’ as the US Air Force unveiled its latest weapon to combat Beijing‘s military advances.
The US is ‘accelerating tests’ and development of its B-21 Raider, a stealth bomber that will be capable of delivering precision long-range strikes anywhere in the world.
The military placed an initial order of 100 aircraft, with experts expecting more B-21 Raiders to be commissioned soon afterwards.
America unveiled the new bomber just weeks after China’s military revealed two new combat aircraft of its own and surrounded Taiwan in an unannounced exercise, that was the world’s largest naval demonstration since the end of World War II.
Experts warn that by 2027, China is expected to outnumber US forces in the areas west of the international dateline where American forces are deployed.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is also rapidly advancing, with American officials warning its pace of modernization is ‘unprecedented and far outpacing’ US efforts.
‘The PLA is the largest and most modern that it has even been. That is risk. That is uncertainty,’ 412th Test Wing commander Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert warned during a briefing earlier this month. ‘We are the smallest and oldest that we have ever been.’
Wickert, who leads one of the most important Air Force units, further argued the US ‘cannot afford’ to take a ‘step backward’, before unveiling the new B-21 Raider and issuing his stark warning to Beijing.
‘Today is not the day to start World War III, because we have this,’ he said, gesturing to a large projection of the bomber.
Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert, pointing to a projection of the US Air Force’s B-21 Raider, warned Beijing: ‘Today is not the day to start World War III, because we have this’
America unveiled the new bomber just weeks after China’s military revealed two new combat aircraft of its own. Pictured is an image that was widely circulated online in December showing what might have been the maiden flight of China’s sixth-generation fighter jet
This photograph appears to show a Chinese advanced stealth fighter flying for the first time on December 26, 2024
The Edwards Air Force Base is currently ‘accelerating’ tests of the B-21 bomber and ‘delivering integrated capability to the warfighter’, Wickert revealed.
‘This is one of the many, many things that you are working on right here that will change [PLA] Chairman Xi Jinping‘s calculus about our readiness,’ he said.
The PLA is preparing for conflict, according to US officials, who cited how the Chinese military in December was conducting mock aerial attacks on shipping in Taiwan’s waters and formed a two-deep naval blockade to restrict sea and air approaches from the west.
Beijing’s new super long range fighter jet also appeared to take its maiden voyage on December 26 last year. The new jet was spotted alongside a Chengdu J-20, the current generation of fighters.
The jet was seen flying with its landing gear open, a standard practice during early testing stages, from the airfield of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, which develops Chinese drones and fighters.
China’s new fighter is speculated to have the ability to fly on edge of space and has been designed to target US early warning aircraft and tankers that could not be reached before, according to defense news and analysis website The War Zone .
The Edwards Air Force Base is currently ‘accelerating’ tests of the B-21 bomber and ‘delivering integrated capability to the warfighter’, Wickert revealed. Pictured is a previously released picture of the B-21 Raider
An undated photograph released by the US Air Force in May 2024 shows a B-21 Raider conducting ground testing, taxiing and flying operations at Edwards Air Force Base, California
In addition to testing its new jet, Wickert says that Beijing has also built a full-scale replica of Taiwan’s Taichung International Airport in the Gobi Desert, complete with runways, taxiways and parking lots.
Nearby, the PLA has created a life-size outline of a US Navy USS Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier and has mock-ups of US destroyers that ‘weave evasively through the desert on rails’.
‘Do you think we know what they’re doing, what they’re planning?’ Wickert said. ‘Based on what you know now, can you update your assessment of the risk to the world and how important our mission is?
‘And that’s why what we are doing here at Edwards Air Force Base is so very important, because we are developing and modernizing and doing those things that will change Chairman Xi’s calculus.’
He added: ‘We cannot afford to have to take a step backward because we have a mishap. Our mission is too important.’
Wickert also highlighted the threat of Chinese cyber espionage, noting how at least ‘at least a dozen telecom companies’ have admitted that their critical infrastructure was ‘infected’ by Beijing malware, leaving the US and its western allies vulnerable.
‘The CCP now knows who my government phone has talked to for at least the last four years, and they’re still there and we can’t get them out,’ he said. ‘That’s uncertainty. That’s risk. And it makes for a very, very dangerous world right now.’
China’s aircraft appeared in social media posts last month, revealing a large, three-engine warplane with a cockpit and diamond-style wing with no vertical tails – which may help the aircraft to avoid being detected in radars
The new Chinese jet, pictured, was spotted flying in December alongside a Chengdu J-20 – Beijing’s current generation of fighter jet
The B-21 is expected to become the backbone of Global Strike Command’s bomber fleet and will incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit.
It is a long-range, highly survivable, penetrating strike stealth bomber that will play a major role supporting national security objectives and assisting US allies and partners across the globe.
The weapon system – with each one each one is projected to cost $750 million – is manufactured under the Air Force’s contract with Northrop Grumman. The B-21 Raider weighs around 30,000 pounds, has a wing span of 172 feet and can reach maximum speeds of 621 miles per hour.
It is touted to be virtually ‘invisible’ to all enemy stealth radars and will equipped with the latest features in military tech.
‘It is designed with an open systems architecture, enabling rapid insertion of mature technologies, and allowing the aircraft to remain effective as threats evolve over time,’ according to the US Air Force.
Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert, commander of the Air Force’s 412th Test Wing, shows off footage of China’s potential “sixth-generation” fighter jets during a presentation at Edwards Air Force Base on Janaury 6, 2025
Wickert, pictured in front of a projection of a Chinese combat aircraft on January 6 this year, warned the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is also rapidly advancing and its pace of modernization is ‘unprecedented and far outpacing’ US efforts
The B-21 Raider is a nuclear-capable craft and the first of its kind to be introduced since the end of the Cold War. Long term, the Air Force hopes to have at least 220 of them to replace old B-1 and B-2 bombers.
The service previously estimated that the program will likely cost at least $203billion over 30 years to develop, purchase and maintain the B-21 fleet.
The B-21 is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of its nuclear triad, which also includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China’s rapid military modernization.
