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this is sort of the deep strike platform which could deliver devastating ordnance to the targeted country's energy and food production infrastructure, degrading

this is sort of the deep strike platform which could deliver devastating ordnance to the targeted country's energy and food production infrastructure, degrading it's war making capability. Good weapon to have

mytailorisrich 4y ago
In this day and age, this is more of a white elephant, which main use is to keep the industry afloat and know-how state of the art. For the money, drones and missiles would probably deliver significantly superior results, or similar results for much less money. Edit: Actually the fact that it is launched to publicly suggests to me that they know that it's not that operationally useful...
- hunglee2 4y ago
  yes, I agree to an extent. This thing will also be able to deliver nuclear ordnance, something drones currently are not able to do, and for missiles-in-silo have a different kind of deterrence effect
- nradov 4y ago
  Drones and missiles will be used for many missions, but we are nowhere close to being able to build autonomous systems that can reliably handle changing situations. The B-21 will also be optionally manned, so it can eventually be used as a large drone to strike fixed targets by delivering specialized ordnance like the GBU-57.
  - mytailorisrich 4y ago
    That's rationalization. The B-2 hasn't been very useful. This one will be even less useful for an astronomical cost. They of course know it so they decided that they might as well make a show of the launch, IMHO. I'll make for nice flyovers at baseball/football games.
    - nradov 4y ago
      The B-2 and B-21 are deterrents and insurance policies. The whole point is not to be directly useful. They are the only survivable platforms that can deliver a large bunker buster munition in hostile airspace. That is now a "must have" capability, regardless of cost.
rektide 4y ago
> deliver ordnance to the targeted country's energy and food production only gigantic piece of shit asshats resort to causing as much civilian suffering as possible. this goes 1000x if you are the aggressor. this sounds like a godforsaken cruel & shitty use of a weapon & i hope it never ever ever ever happens.
- hunglee2 4y ago
  well the builders of this weapon have no problem with causing civilian suffering. The threat of bombing others is the very purpose of aircraft carriers, of which the US has an inordinate number. These are not defensive weapons, but weapons of coercion
  - rektide 4y ago
    i tend to think almost everyone involved in the US defense industry & the military wishes their job was unnecessary & that they could stop making weapons. these folks absolutely do care about not causing civilian suffering.

mytailorisrich 4y ago

In this day and age, this is more of a white elephant, which main use is to keep the industry afloat and know-how state of the art. For the money, drones and missiles would probably deliver significantly superior results, or similar results for much less money. Edit: Actually the fact that it is launched to publicly suggests to me that they know that it's not that operationally useful...

hunglee2 4y ago
yes, I agree to an extent. This thing will also be able to deliver nuclear ordnance, something drones currently are not able to do, and for missiles-in-silo have a different kind of deterrence effect
nradov 4y ago
Drones and missiles will be used for many missions, but we are nowhere close to being able to build autonomous systems that can reliably handle changing situations. The B-21 will also be optionally manned, so it can eventually be used as a large drone to strike fixed targets by delivering specialized ordnance like the GBU-57.
- mytailorisrich 4y ago
  That's rationalization. The B-2 hasn't been very useful. This one will be even less useful for an astronomical cost. They of course know it so they decided that they might as well make a show of the launch, IMHO. I'll make for nice flyovers at baseball/football games.
  - nradov 4y ago
    The B-2 and B-21 are deterrents and insurance policies. The whole point is not to be directly useful. They are the only survivable platforms that can deliver a large bunker buster munition in hostile airspace. That is now a "must have" capability, regardless of cost.

rektide 4y ago

> deliver ordnance to the targeted country's energy and food production only gigantic piece of shit asshats resort to causing as much civilian suffering as possible. this goes 1000x if you are the aggressor. this sounds like a godforsaken cruel & shitty use of a weapon & i hope it never ever ever ever happens.

hunglee2 4y ago
well the builders of this weapon have no problem with causing civilian suffering. The threat of bombing others is the very purpose of aircraft carriers, of which the US has an inordinate number. These are not defensive weapons, but weapons of coercion
- rektide 4y ago
  i tend to think almost everyone involved in the US defense industry & the military wishes their job was unnecessary & that they could stop making weapons. these folks absolutely do care about not causing civilian suffering.