Australia eyes B-21 to contain China, but will US sell its most advanced stealth bomber?

Aukus security pact increases Canberra’s odds of buying America’s newest warplane to fend off PLA threat, according to think tank

However, others say the purchase would be waste of money and could provoke ‘counter-threats’ from Beijing

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The US unveiled the B-21 Raider at an air force base in California earlier this month. Photo: Handout via Reuters.

Published: 11:00am, 19 Dec 2022Updated: 3:10pm, 19 Dec 2022

America’s newest stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, was unveiled at an air force base in California this month after years of secret development. While the planes have yet to enter service, defence analysts are already debating whether Australia should – or could – buy the cutting-edge bombers in an attempt to contain China’s growing military presence in the Indo-Pacific.

Speculation about Australia’s B-21 ambitions has grown since Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles acknowledged in August that Canberra was examining the possibility of buying a fleet of the bombers as part of the government’s defence strategic review, which will provide recommendations on military spending priorities for the next decade and beyond.

Also in August, US Air Force secretary Frank Kendall said Washington would consider providing B-21s to Australia, though it has not been confirmed whether the countries have discussed the purchase.

While some analysts doubt that Washington would supply the B-21 to another country, others say the Aukus alliance between Australia, Britain and the US makes it more likely that Canberra would be able to procure the strategic bombers.

The sixth-generation stealth bomber is believed to be able to penetrate Chinese defence systems without detection. Observers say the aircraft would help Australia deter attacks and improve its strike capability in the face of a growing security threat from China.

“Given the increasingly aggressive posture of the People’s Liberation Army and Canberra’s need for long-range strike capabilities, it is easy to see why Australia might want the B-21 if it were available,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Centre on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies in Washington.

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Australia eyes B-21 to contain China, but will US sell its most advanced stealth bomber?

Aukus security pact increases Canberra’s odds of buying America’s newest warplane to fend off PLA threat, according to think tank However, others say the purchase would be waste of money and could provoke ‘counter-threats’ from Beijing

Aukus changes everything?

Aukus security pact increases Canberra’s odds of buying America’s newest warplane to fend off PLA threat, according to think tank

However, others say the purchase would be waste of money and could provoke ‘counter-threats’ from Beijing