폭격기 B-21의 공대공 임무 부여 여부를 평가중

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When Computers Went To Sea | B-21에 더 다양한 임무를 줄지도? - Daum 카페

B-21에 더 다양한 임무를 줄지도?

When Computers Went To Sea | 공중전용 B-21의 개발을 검토하는 미공군 - Daum 카페

공중전용 B-21의 개발을 검토하는 미공군

미공군이 B-21에 공대공 전투 능력을 부여하는 방안을 평가하면서, 동시에 바이퍼를 수적인 전력 유지용으로 구매하는 방안도 고려중인 모양입니다. AIM-174B나 AIM-424같은 멀리 날아가는 대공미사일 캐리어로 쓰겠다는 건지, 아니면 자위용으로 소수 탑재하겠다는 건지 교리가 궁금하네요. 

# 미 공군, 폭격기가 공대공 전투에서 중요한 역할을 수행할 수 있다고 확인

미 공군은 전투기 전력을 확대하고 협동전투항공기(CCA) 전력을 구축하는 것에 더해, 폭격기를 또 다른 공대공 전투 자산으로 활용하는 방안을 검토하고 있다.

조지프 트레비식

2026년 10월 22일 오후 5시 31분(미국 동부시간)

미 공군은 최신 전투기 전력구조 계획과 연계된 노력의 일환으로 폭격기에 공대공 전투능력을 추가하는 방안을 검토하고 있다.

미 공군은 과거에도 특히 B-21 레이더가 공대공 임무를 수행하고, 잠재적으로 협동전투항공기(CCA) 드론과 협력해 이러한 임무를 수행할 가능성을 제기한 바 있다. TWZ가 수년 동안 살펴봤듯이 B-21이 본래 갖춘 특성, 즉 크기, 극도로 긴 항속거리, 높은 운용고도, 광대역 저피탐성(스텔스 능력), 첨단 센서는 실제로 이 항공기가 공대공 전투임무에 참여하는 데 특히 적합하도록 만들 수 있다. 미 공군의 다른 폭격기들도 이러한 미래 계획에 포함될 수 있다.

지난주 의회에 제출된 새로운 장기 전투기 전력구조 보고서의 사본을 입수한 에이비에이션 위크가 폭격기를 활용해 미 공군의 공대공 전투능력을 강화할 가능성을 처음 보도했다. 이 보고서에 관한 언론 보도는 이번 주 화요일 미 공군 계획·사업 담당 부참모총장 데이비드 테이버 중장과의 원탁회의 이후 처음 등장하기 시작했다. 비기밀인 보고서 전문은 당시 기자들에게 배포되지 않았다.

캘리포니아주 에드워즈 공군기지에 있는 양산 전 B-21 레이더 폭격기들. (미 공군)

현재 미 공군의 핵심 목표는 2035년까지 전투임무 지정 전투기(combat-coded fighters) 1,509대를 보유하는 것이다. 이는 현재 운용 중인 수량보다 수백 대 많은 규모다. 이러한 목표는 신형 F-35A, F-15EX, F-47 도입을 통해 달성할 계획이다. 그러나 이 계획이 얼마나 현실적인지에 대해서는 이미 의문이 제기되고 있으며, 미 공군도 극복해야 할 여러 장애물이 있다는 점을 인정했다. 이에 대해서는 TWZ의 최초 보도에서 더 자세히 확인할 수 있다.

여기에 제시된 예상도 속 F-47은 미 공군의 현재 미래 전투기 전력구조 계획에서 핵심적인 구성요소다. (미 공군)

에이비에이션 위크에 따르면 최신 전투기 전력구조 보고서는 다음과 같이 밝혔다.

“이에 따라 미 공군은 새로운 전력 규모 확보용 전투기(capacity fighter), 협동전투항공기(CCA)에 대한 의존도 확대, 폭격기의 공대공 능력 개발을 포함한 추가적인 전력 현대화 선택지들도 평가하고 있다.”

‘새로운 전력 규모 확보용 전투기’는 신형 F-16 바이퍼의 구매 가능성을 가리킬 수 있다. Air & Space Forces Magazine의 앞선 보도에 따르면 테이버 중장은 원탁회의에서 이것이 향후 선택지가 될 수 있다고 말했다. 그는 또한 그러한 결정을 내리는 것이 ‘시급한’ 우선과제는 아니라고 밝혔다. 그러나 이는 여러 가능성 가운데 하나일 뿐이다. 미 공군은 최근 몇 년 동안 F-47 이외의 다른 신형 전투기 개념도 제시해왔다. 록히드마틴 역시 F-35 설계를 확장할 가능성에 관해 언급한 바 있다.

현 세대 블록 70 F-16의 파생형을 미 공군이 구매할 가능성이 제기됐다. 사진은 2024년 3월 7일 캘리포니아주 에드워즈 공군기지에서 출격해 제370비행시험대대 승무원이 탑승한 KC-135 공중급유기로부터 급유를 받은 뒤 이탈하는 바레인 공군의 블록 70 F-16D다. 이 항공기는 제416비행시험대대 소속 인력들이 조종했다. (미 공군)

화요일 원탁회의에서 테이버 중장은 CCA 도입이 향후 전투기 전력구조 계획에 영향을 미칠 것이라는 점도 분명히 했다. 그러나 그러한 영향의 예상 규모와 범위는 여전히 불확실하다. 당시 그는 이 과정에서 폭격기가 수행할 수 있는 역할에 대해서는 언급하지 않은 것으로 보인다. 에이비에이션 위크의 보도에 따르면 새로운 전투기 보고서 자체에도 폭격기의 잠재적 활용에 관한 추가 설명은 없다. TWZ는 더 많은 정보를 확인하고 있다.

앞서 언급했듯이 미 공군 폭격기, 특히 B-21이 공대공 임무를 수행할 가능성이 제기된 것은 이번이 처음이 아니다.

2024년 군사전문기자·편집자협회(MRE) 콘퍼런스에서 당시 디펜스 뉴스 소속이었던 스티븐 로지 기자는 당시 미 공군 참모총장 데이비드 올빈 대장에게 다음과 같이 질문했다.

“차세대 공중우세(NGAD) 사업에 대한 검토가 진행되고 있는데, 그 결과 B-21이 더 큰 역할을 맡게 될 가능성도 있습니까?”

이에 미 공군 최고 지휘관인 올빈 대장은 “우리는 그 가능성을 배제하지 않았다”고 답했지만, 자세한 설명은 하지 않았다.

B-21 이륙 및 착륙

당시 미 공군의 NGAD 사업은 심층적인 검토를 받고 있었으며, 이 사업의 6세대 전투기 구성요소가 계속 추진될지도 불투명한 상태였다. 결국 현재 F-47로 발전한 계획을 계속 추진하기로 결정됐다.

TWZ는 수년 동안 B-21이 전통적인 폭격기 역할을 넘어 공대공 전투능력을 포함한 여러 임무를 수행할 수 있다는 점을 강조해왔다. 미 공군 관계자들 역시 레이더가 다중임무 능력을 갖추고 있으며, 이러한 능력이 공대공 전투 영역까지 확대될 수 있다고 설명한 바 있다.

“우리가 이것을 NGAD라는 전투기로 규정한다면, 경쟁이 극심한 환경에서 어떤 종류의 항공기가 필요한지를 지나치게 좁게 생각하는 셈이 될 것입니다.”

2019년 당시 미 공군 소장이었던 스콧 플루스는 당시 명칭이 Air Force Magazine이었던 매체에 이렇게 말했다.

이는 “공대공 능력도 갖추고 있으며 스텔스 능력을 활용해 스스로를 방어하기 위해 여러 체계로 구성된 체계군과 협력할 수 있는 B-21”이 될 수도 있다. 그는 “어쩌면 6세대 항공기가 바로 그런 형태에서 나올 수도 있다”고 말했다.

플루스의 발언은 당시와 그 이후 진행된 B-21과 미래 CCA 드론의 협력 운용 가능성에 관한 논의와도 연결돼 있었다. 이후 중장으로 진급해 마지막으로 국방부에 위치한 미 공군 본부의 참모총괄직을 맡았던 플루스는 올해 8월 퇴역했다.

미 공군이 현재 CCA 사업 1단계에서 도입하고 있는 두 드론인 제너럴 아토믹스의 FQ-42 벤전스와 안두릴의 FQ-44 퓨리를 함께 보여주는 합성 이미지. (미 공군)

미 공군이 B-21 또는 다른 기존 폭격기를 공대공 전투에 어떻게 활용할 계획인지는 여전히 불분명하다. 여기에는 직접적인 공대공 교전을 위해 폭격기에 무장을 탑재하는 방안, 표적을 탐지하거나 새로운 지원 역할을 수행할 수 있도록 추가 능력을 통합하는 방안, 또는 이 모든 방안을 결합하는 방식이 포함될 수 있다. 또한 공중우세를 확보하는 과정은 공중위협을 무력화하는 데만 국한되지 않는다.

TWZ는 과거 레이더의 공대공 역할을 구체적으로 다루면서 다음과 같이 설명했다.

“레이더는 특히 크기가 매우 큰 초장거리 공대공미사일의 발사 플랫폼으로 활용될 잠재력이 있다. 또한 상당한 탑재능력을 활용해 크기가 작은 공대공미사일도 대량으로 탑재할 수 있다. B-21은 공중우세 확보의 일부인 적 방공망 제압 및 파괴(SEAD/DEAD) 임무를 지원하기 위해 공대지 무장을 사용할 수도 있다.”

“어쩌면 가장 중요한 점은 B-21이 제공전 임무를 지원하는 공중 신경중추 역할도 수행할 수 있다는 것이다. 특히 미 공군이 계획 중인 협동전투항공기(CCA) 드론 전력을 통제하는 역할을 맡을 수 있으며, 가장 치열한 적의 방어가 존재하는 공역에서도 이러한 임무를 수행할 능력이 있다. 반대로 무인항공기는 공대공 무장을 탑재한 레이더에 표적획득 정보를 전달할 수 있다. B-21이 이러한 드론 가운데 일부를 직접 발사할 가능성도 있다.”

첫 번째 양산 전 B-21 레이더를 정면에서 바라본 모습. (미 공군)

넓은 거리와 여러 영역에 걸쳐 분산된 센서 및 기타 지원체계들을 연결하는 고도로 네트워크화된 ‘킬 웹(kill web)’과 초장거리 공대공미사일의 결합은 전반적으로 새로운 작전 가능성을 열어준다. 이는 B-21 이외의 미 공군 폭격기에도 적용된다.

장거리 공대공미사일과 관련해 주목할 만한 사실은 미 해군이 이미 스탠더드 미사일-6(SM-6)의 공중발사형인 AIM-174B를 실전 배치했다는 점이다. 미 해군은 최근 현재 비행시험 중인 또 다른 미사일 AIM-424 멀리스도 공개했다.

비행시험 중 AIM-424 미사일을 탑재한 모습이 포착된 미 해군 슈퍼 호넷 전투기. (미 해군)

미 공군도 과거 유사한 미사일 개발을 추진했으며, 지난 6월에는 최대 사거리가 최소 1,000해리인 신형 대공미사일에 대한 제안 요청을 발표했다. 미 공군은 장거리와 단거리 교전용으로 구성을 변경할 수 있는 모듈식 설계의 다단식 미사일도 검토해왔다. 이러한 사업들은 공개적으로 알려진 것들에 불과하며, 미 공군과 다른 기관들이 기밀 영역에서 추진하고 있을 가능성이 있는 개발사업까지 보여주는 것은 아니다.

또한 미 공군뿐 아니라 미 육군과 해군도 여러 해에 걸쳐 참여해온 미 국방고등연구계획국(DARPA)의 롱샷(LongShot) 사업이 있다. 이 사업은 전술전투기와 폭격기의 작전범위를 확대하고 취약성을 줄이는 데 도움이 되는 공대공미사일 탑재 드론의 개념을 실증하는 것을 목표로 한다.

B-52 폭격기와 F-15 전투기에서 롱샷 드론을 발사하는 모습을 묘사한 예상도. (제너럴 아토믹스)

이와 더불어 전술전투기는 일반적으로 여기에서 논의하는 대형 탑재물을 운반하는 데 적합하지 않으며, 경우에 따라서는 아예 운반할 수 없다. 이는 극도로 먼 거리의 표적과 교전하는 수단으로 폭격기를 이러한 작전에 포함하는 것이 갖는 잠재적 가치를 부각한다.

전투기를 보다 가까운 거리에서 지원하는 역할에서도 B-21과 B-52는 장거리 무기를 탑재한 무기고 항공기로서 공대공 전투에 기여할 수 있다. 전술작전의 최전선에서 활동하는 유인 및 무인 플랫폼과 협력하면서 후방에서 요청에 따라 무기를 발사하는 방식이다. B-21은 적 방공망을 돌파할 수 있는 능력을 활용해, 적 방공망 내부에서도 활동할 수 있는 전투기와 유사한 능력을 갖춘 자체 드론들을 지휘할 수도 있다.

미 공군 폭격기에 추가될 새로운 공대공 능력에는 자기방어체계도 포함될 수 있다. 수년 전 B-21의 주계약업체인 노스럽그러먼은 직접 요격하는 하드킬 요격체를 발사하도록 설계된 스텔스 항공기용 대미사일 방어체계에 관한 특허를 출원했다. 미 공군과 해군 역시 공중급유기와 그 밖의 대형 항공기들을 위한 유사한 방어능력에 공개적으로 관심을 표명해왔다. 개별 폭격기 주변에 국지적인 근접방어 ‘보호구역’을 형성할 수 있는 능력만으로도 미래 공대공 전투 소요를 계산하는 방식에 영향을 미칠 수 있다.

노스럽그러먼의 항공기 대미사일 방어체계 특허 도면. (미국 특허상표청)

다시 강조하지만, 이러한 개념들은 모두 TWZ가 약 10년 동안 심층적으로 논의해온 것들이다.

미 공군의 미래 전투기 전력구조 소요에 관해 보다 폭넓게 설명하면서, 우리는 앞서 다음과 같이 쓴 바 있다.

“최근 몇 년 동안 전반적인 유지·운용비용은 미 공군은 물론 다른 미군 군종들에도 갈수록 심각한 우려 사항이 됐다. 특히 F-22 랩터와 F-35 통합타격전투기처럼 복잡한 유인 플랫폼에서 이러한 문제가 두드러진다. 항공기단의 규모와 준비태세 역시 매우 시급한 문제다. 따라서 적어도 단기적으로 NGAD가 고도로 정교한 기술을 집약한 유인 전투기처럼 능력이 고도로 집중된 전통적인 공중전 자산의 대안으로, 능력이 분산된 비교적 저렴한 선택지를 탐색하는 데 더 중점을 두게 되더라도 놀라운 일은 아니다.”

결국 더욱 정교한 기술을 집약한 F-47을 추진하기로 결정했지만, 이러한 문제들은 시간이 흐르면서 더욱 두드러졌다. 미 공군이 궁극적으로 몇 대의 F-47을 구매할 계획인지 역시 최신 전투기 전력구조 보고서에서 답을 찾지 못한 또 다른 문제로 보인다. 동시에 미 공군이 계획 중인 B-21 항공기단의 규모를 상당히 확대하려 한다는 명확한 징후도 나타나고 있다. 공식 획득 목표는 오랫동안 최소 100대의 레이더였지만, 미 공군과 노스럽그러먼은 내년에 발표될 2028 회계연도 예산안에 새로운 전체 도입 목표 수량이 포함될 것으로 예상된다고 밝혔다. 미 공군은 현재 2032년까지 최소 500대의 CCA 드론을 실전 배치하겠다는 목표도 명시적으로 제시하고 있다. 이 모든 사업은 적어도 어느 정도는 예산과 다른 자원을 놓고 경쟁하게 될 것이다.

시험비행 중인 양산 전 B-21의 모습. (미 공군)

한편 에이비에이션 위크에 따르면 미 공군의 최신 전투기 전력구조 보고서는 “미 공군 전술전투기 전력 전반에서 항공기 가용률(AA)이 지속적으로 하락하고 있다”고 지적했다. 이는 “평균 기령이 31년을 초과하는 항공기단을 운용하는 데 따른 직접적인 수학적 결과”라는 것이다. 보고서는 “F-16C/D, F-15E, A-10C와 같은 구형 플랫폼들이 당초 설계 수명을 훨씬 넘겨 운용되면서 구조적 피로가 누적되고, 광범위한 부식과 하위체계의 성능 저하가 발생하고 있다”고 설명했다.

에이비에이션 위크에 따르면 보고서는 이어서 “대등한 상대와의 분쟁 시나리오에 필요한 의무적인 항공기 가용률을 달성하려면 가장 오래된 기체들을 적극적으로 퇴역시켜 F-35A와 F-15EX처럼 높은 가용성을 갖춘 현대화된 플랫폼의 조달에 필요한 자금을 확보해야 한다”고 밝혔다. 또한 “J-20과 J-16 같은 전투기를 배치하는 중국의 산업 생산능력과 수적 우위에 대응하기 위해 미 공군은 유인 및 무인체계를 결합한 혼합 전력을 수용해야 한다”고 덧붙였다.

중국의 J-20 전투기. (중국 인민해방군 공군)

이 모든 점을 고려하면 폭격기의 새로운 공대공 역할을 적극적으로 검토하는 것과 ‘CCA에 대한 의존도 확대’, 현 세대 신형 F-16의 도입 가능성은 적어도 미 공군이 여러 대안에 대비하는 전략을 취하고 있음을 보여주는 것으로 보인다.

적어도 한 가지는 분명하다. 폭격기가 미래 미 공군의 ‘전투기’ 구상에서 핵심적인 역할을 담당할 가능성은 여전히 열려 있다.

저자 연락처: joe\@twz.com

## 조지프 트레비식

부편집장

조지프는 TWZ의 부편집장으로, 풍부한 경험과 전문성을 갖춘 편집팀의 운영을 지원하는 동시에 국방 및 국가안보에 관한 유익하고 영향력 있는 기사를 작성하고 있다. 그는 워싱턴 D.C. 지역의 중심부에 거주하고 있다.

USAF Confirm‎s Bombers Could Have A Major Air-To-Air Combat Role

USAF Confirm‎s Bombers Could Have A Major Air-To-Air Combat Role

USAF Confirm‎s Bombers Could Have A Major Air-To-Air Combat Role

Bombers are now being viewed as another potential air-to-air asset on top of growing the fighter fleet and establishing a CCA force.

Joseph Trevithick

Published Oct 22, 2026 5:31 PM EDT

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The U.S. Air Force is exploring options for adding air-to-air combat capabilities to its bombers as part of efforts adjacent to its latest fighter force structure plans. The service has raised the possibility of the B-21 Raider, specifically, taking on an air-to-air role, and potentially doing so in cooperation with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones, in the past. As TWZ has explored for years, the B-21’s inherent attributes – size, extreme range, high operating ceiling, broadband low-observability (stealthiness), and advanced sensors – could actually make it especially well suited to taking part in air-to-air combat missions. The Air Force’s other bombers could also be part of these future plans.

Aviation Week was first to report on the potential for bombers to help bolster the Air Force’s air-to-air combat capacity after obtaining a copy of a new long-term fighter force structure report submitted to Congress last week. Media coverage of this report first began to appear earlier this week following a roundtable on Tuesday with Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the service’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs. The full report, which is unclassified, was not disseminated to reporters at that time.

Pre-production B-21 Raider bombers at Edwards Air Force Base in California. USAF

The Air Force’s central goal now is having 1,509 combat-coded fighters in inventory by 2035, which is hundreds more than it has in service today. This will come from the acquisition of new F-35As, F-15EXs, and F-47s. There are already questions about how realistic this plan might be, and the service has acknowledged several hurdles it will need to overcome. You can read more about this in our initial reporting here.

The F-47, a rendering of which is seen here, is a critical component of the Air Force’s current future fighter force structure plans. USAF

“Accordingly, the USAF is also eval‎uating additional recapitalization options, including a new capacity fighter, increased reliance on CCAs [Collaborative Combat Aircraft], and developing air-to-air capabilities on bombers,” the latest fighter force structure report says, per Aviation Week.

“A new capacity fighter” may refer to the possible acquisition of new-production F-16 Vipers, which Lt. Gen. Tabor said at the roundtable could be an option in the future, according to an earlier story from Air & Space Forces Magazine. He also said making any such decision was not an “urgent” priority. This is just one possibility here. The Air Force has floated ideas for other new fighter concepts beyond the F-47 in recent years. Lockheed Martin has talked about the potential for expanding on the F-35 design.

The possibility of the Air Force buying a version of the current-generation Block 70 F-16, an example of which is seen here, has been raised. USAF A Bahraini Block 70 F-16D flown by members of the 416th Flight Test Squadron pulls away after receiving fuel from a KC-135 tanker with a crew from the 370th Flight Test Squadron during a sortie out of Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 7, 2024. USAF

At the roundtable on Tuesday, Tabor also made clear that the introduction of CCAs would influence future fighter force structure plans, but the expected scale and scope of those impacts remain unclear. He does not appear to have addressed the role bombers could play in this equation at that time. The new fighter report itself does not elaborate further on the potential use of bombers, based on Aviation Week’s story. TWZ is seeking more information.

When it comes to the possibility of Air Force bombers, and the B-21 more specifically, taking on an air-to-air role, this is not the first time the possibility has been raised, as mentioned earlier.

“As the NGAD [Next Generation Air Dominance] review goes forward, like, is it possible that what that ends up with could be the B-21 taking a larger role?” reporter Stephen Losey, working at the time for Defense News, asked then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin at the Military Reporters & Editors (MRE) Conference in 2024.

“We have not taken that off the table,” the Air Force’s top officer said in response to Losey’s question, but did not elaborate.

B-21 Takeoff and Landing

At that time, the Air Force’s NGAD program was undergoing a deep review, and the future of the sixth-generation fighter component of the effort had come into question. The decision was ultimately made to continue pursuing plans for what has now become the F-47.

For years now, TWZ has been highlighting how the B-21 could serve in multiple roles beyond just that of a traditional bomber, including in an air-to-air capacity. Air Force officials have themselves described the Raider as having multi-mission capabilities, which could extend into the realm of air-to-air combat.

“If we were to characterize it [NGAD] as a fighter, we would be… thinking too narrowly about what kind of airplane we need in a highly contested environment,” then-Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus told what was then just Air Force Magazine back in 2019. This could be “a B-21 that also has air-to-air capabilities” and can “work with the family of systems to defend itself, utilizing stealth – maybe that’s where the sixth-generation airplane comes from.”

Pleus’ comments had tied in with adjacent discussions at the time and thereafter about how the B-21 might operate together with future CCA drones. Pleus, who was subsequently promoted to lieutenant general and whose lasting posting was as Director of Staff at the Air Force’s top headquarters at the Pentagon, retired in August of this year.

A composite image showing the two drones – General Atomics FQ-42 Vengence and Anduril’s FQ-44 Fury – that the Air Force is acquiring now under the first phase of its CCA program. USAF

It remains unclear how the Air Force might be considering employing the B-21, or any of its other existing bombers, in air-to-air combat. This could entail loading out bombers for direct air-to-air engagements, or the integration of new capabilities to help them find targets or to otherwise enable new supporting roles, or a mix of all of the above. The process of achieving air superiority is not limited to neutralizing aerial threats, either.

As TWZ has written in the past in the context of an air-to-air role for the Raider in particular:

“The Raider has the potential to serve as a launch platform for air-to-air missiles, especially outsized very long-range types. Its payload capacity would give it the ability to carry a large volume of smaller air-to-air missiles, as well. B-21s could also employ air-to-ground munitions in support of the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses mission (SEAD/DEAD), which is also part of the air superiority equation.”

“Maybe most significantly, the B-21s could also act as airborne nerve centers in support of counter-air missions, especially for controlling drones like the Air Force’s planned fleets of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), and have the ability to do so even in the most heavily contested of airspaces. Uncrewed aircraft, in turn, could feed targeting data back to Raiders with air-to-air loadouts. B-21s might even be able to launch some of those drones themselves.”

A head-on view of the first pre-production B-21 Raider. USAF

Deeply networked ‘kill webs’ that bring together distributed arrays of sensors and other supporting elements across vast distances and multiple domains, coupled with very-long-range air-to-air missiles, open up new operational possibilities more generally. This applies to Air Force bombers beyond the B-21.

When it comes to longer-range air-to-air missiles, the Navy has notably already fielded the AIM-174B air-launched version of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). The service more recently disclosed another such missile in flight testing now, the AIM-424 Malice.

A US Navy Super Hornet fighter seen carrying a load of AIM-424 missiles during a flight test. USN

The Air Force has pursued similar missile developments in the past and put out a call for a new anti-air missile with a maximum range of at least 1,000 nautical miles just in June. The service has been exploring multi-stage types with modular designs that could be configured for longer- and shorter-range engagements, as well. These are all just programs we know about, and do not speak to the developments the Air Force and others could have underway in the classified realm.

There is also the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) LongShot program, which the Air Force, as well as the U.S. Army and Navy, have been involved with over the years. The aim of that effort is to demonstrate the concept of an air-to-air missile-carrying drone to help extend the reach and reduce the vulnerability of tactical fighters and bombers.

A rendering depicting LongShot drones being launched from a B-52 bomber, as well as F-15 fighters. General Atomics

On top of all this, tactical fighters are generally ill-suited to, and in some cases outright incapable of, carrying the kinds of outsized payloads being discussed here. This underscores the potential value of incorporating bombers into this equation as a means to engage targets at extreme ranges.

Even in a closer proximity support role of fighter aircraft, B-21s, as well as B-52s, could contribute to air-to-air fight as arsenal ships for longer-range weapons, firing on demand from the rear in coordination with crewed and uncrewed platforms operating at the tip of the tactical edge. B-21s could also use their penetrating capabilities to command drones of their own that provide penetrating fighter-like capabilities.

New air-to-air capabilities on Air Force bombers could include self-protection systems, too. Years ago now, the B-21’s prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, patented an anti-missile defense system for stealthy aircraft designed to fire hard-kill interceptors. The Air Force, as well as the Navy, have openly expressed interest in similar defensive capabilities for aerial refueling tankers and other larger planes. Just being able to provide localized close-in defensive ‘bubbles’ around individual bombers could impact the calculus when it comes to future air-to-air combat requirements.

Drawings from Northrop Grumman’s aircraft anti-missile defense system patent. USPTO

To reiterate, these are all concepts we have discussed in depth for roughly a decade.

Speaking more broadly about Air Force future fighter force structure demands, as we wrote previously:

“In recent years, sustainment costs, broadly, have only become an increasingly serious concern for the Air Force, as well as the other branches of the U.S. military, especially when it comes to complex manned platforms, such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Fleet size and the readiness of those fleets are also highly pressing issues. So, at least in the near term, it’s not surprising that NGAD may end up focusing more on exploring available lower-cost options with distributed capabilities as alternatives to traditional air combat assets with highly centralized capabilities, such as manned fighter jets packed with ‘exquisite’ technologies.”

Despite the decision in the end to proceed with the more exquisite F-47, these points have only become more pronounced as time has gone on. How many F-47s the Air Force ultimately intends to buy is another question that looks to remain unanswered by the latest fighter force structure report. At the same time, there are clear signs that the Air Force is planning to significantly increase its planned B-21 fleet size. The official acquisition target has long been at least 100 Raiders, but the Air Force and Northrop Grumman have said a new topline figure is expected to come in the Fiscal Year 2028 budget proposal next year. The service is now explicitly aiming to have at least 500 CCA drones in service by 2032, too. All of this will compete for funding and other resources, at least to a degree.

A pre-production B-21 seen during a test flight. USAF

In the meantime, there has been a “persistent decline in AA [aircraft availability] rates across the USAF tactical fighter fleet,” which “is the direct mathematical consequence of operating an inventory with an average age exceeding 31 years,” the Air Force’s latest fighter force structure report says, according to Aviation Week. “As legacy platforms – such as the F-16C/D, F-15E, and A-10C – operate well beyond their original engineering service lives, they experience compounding structural fatigue, widespread corrosion, and subsystem degradation.”

“Achieving the mandated AA rates required for a peer-conflict scenario necessitates aggressive divestment of the oldest airframes to fund the procurement of highly available, modernized platforms like the F-35A and F-15EX,” the report adds, per that outlet. Furthermore, “to counter the [Chinese] industrial capacity and numerical advantage in fielding fighters like the J-20 and J-16, the USAF must embrace a hybrid force of manned and unmanned systems.”

A Chinese J-20 fighter. PLAAF

With all this in mind, active consideration of new air-to-air roles for bombers, as well as the possibility of “increased reliance on CCAs” and the potential to acquire new current-generation F-16s, at least seems to reflect a hedge strategy on the part of the Air Force.

If nothing else, the door clearly remains open to bombers being a key part of the Air Force’s ‘fighter’ vision in the future.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Joseph TrevithickDeputy Editor

Joseph is TWZ’s Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area.