The B-21 Raider, touted as the world’s most technologically advanced strategic bomber, is expected to conduct globe-spanning missions that could take 40 hours or more from start to finish. And yet, according to a recent memo out of the Air Force’s Global Strike Command, the B-21 may be the first American heavy payload bomber in history to fly these marathon missions with just a single pilot onboard, reserving the second seat in the bomber’s cockpit for a Weapons Systems Officer instead.
