US Air Force Unveils New B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber

US Air Force Unveils New B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber
Image copyright: United States Air Force [via Fox News]

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The accomplishments of this program are two-fold, as the US faces growing scrutiny over both its budget and security. The B-21 was developed in a timely fashion and within budget, overcoming past failures to do so. Its stealth and long-range capabilities are also needed today as the US faces both hypersonic technologies and advanced mobile and deeply buried targets from its adversaries.

Establishment-critical narrative

This unveiling proves that the imbalance between military and non-military spending is alive and well. After decades of unnecessary wars, the Pentagon is now using the Cold War 2.0 trope to trick the nation into spending billions of dollars to fight its new enemies, Russia and China — a policy that completely disregards other major challenges. If the nation continues to hand over a blank check, there will be no signs of peace or military downsizing in sight.

Metaculus Prediction


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