Air Force Unveils Design for New Long Range Bomber

Meet the newest plane in the United States Air Force, the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber.

It's so new that it exists only as an artist's rendering; a prototype has yet to be built.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James unveiled the highly anticipated design today at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. The plane is designated right now as the "B-21" and James said they're taking suggestions for a new name from within the Air Force.

The 5th generation bomber, James said, will "hold targets at risk in a way the world and our adversaries have never, ever seen."

The new design, by defense manufacturer Northrop Grumman, appears to closely resemble its predecessor, the B-2 Stealth Bomber. James acknowledged the Air Force wanted to build off "mature technology," which could speed up and reduce the cost of production.

The Air Force plans to operate the aircraft sometime in the mid-2020s and the initial development contract will cost the defense department $21 billion.