The US Air Force has unveiled a new artist rendering image of its top-secret B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
The bomber, which will be able to carry nuclear weapons, will cost the military more than $600 million per plane, and more than 100 of them are on order.
It is expected to enter service in the next five years, but the Air Force has kept most details firmly under wraps.
The release shows the Northrop Grumman built plane with a sleeker profile than its larger predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, according to Military.com.
Unlike previous concepts of the bomber, which were released in 2020, this image has a more defined beak at the front and a slanted window for the main cockpit windows.
The larger B-2 has four windows that go around the front of the cockpit.
The image also shows the bomber taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it is expected to receive testing in the coming years.
The US Air Force unveiled a new artist rendering image of its B-21 Raider stealth bomber, one that will cost the military more than $600 million per plane.
The classified plane is still under development by the military and is part of the Long Range Strike Bomber program (LRS-B).
It is expected to be in service by 2026 or 2027 and will complement the B-2 Spirit, as well as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber fleets, before eventually replacing both of them.
'Nuclear modernization is a top priority for the Department of Defense and the Air Force, and B-21 is key to that plan,' said Randall Walden, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director, in a statement.
The image also shows the bomber taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it is expected to receive testing in the coming years
'The built-in feature of open systems architecture on the B-21 makes the bomber effective as the threat environment evolves. This aircraft design approach sets the nation on the right path to ensuring America's enduring airpower capability.'
All of the officially released pictures so far are artistic renderings - not official pictures of the top secret jet have yet been released.
The first official rendering of the B-21 Raider was released in 2016, but only showed its basic shape.
Renderings released in 2020 showed how the B-21 Raider would appear in hangars at various US
