Military planners carefully match specific weapons to targets to achieve the intended operational effects. Expanding the range of weapons that different aircraft can carry would provide greater operational flexibility, according to Lt. Gen. Jason R. Armagost, deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.
The issue is gaining importance as the Air Force prepares to introduce the next-generation B-21 Raider bomber, expected to enter service in 2027. Armagost discussed the topic during the Air & Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium last week.
“If a weapon is made, it should be capable of being carried by a bomber,” Armagost said. He added: “And going forward in the future, we need to open up the aperture about what that really, truly means from a functional perspective. … There are a lot of good ideas shared across the Air Force on how we do that, and some real opportunities. … We’re seeing things start to happen much quicker and in different ways.”
Tom Jones, president of Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems Sector and a key figure in the B-21 program, expressed a similar view. He said: “The bomber should be able to carry any weapon that’s out there.”
So far, the Air Force has stated that the B-21 will carry several major weapons, including the B61 nuclear bomb and the AGM-181 Long-Range Stand Off nuclear missile. The aircraft will also be able to deploy the Next-Generation Penetrator, designed to replace the 30,000-pound AGM-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator that was used in June to collapse Iranian nuclear facilities.
Officials also suggested that other developing weapons could eventually be integrated with the aircraft. These include the Stand-in Attack Weapon, the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, multiple hypersonic systems, and new low-cost cruise missile concepts.
Whether all of these systems will ultimately be compatible with the B-21 remains classified or undecided. Previous reporting has also indicated that the Air Force has considered the possibility of using the B-21 in air-to-air roles traditionally assigned to fighter aircraft.
Armagost argued that Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses missions should no longer be limited to specific aircraft types. He said SEAD capabilities, currently associated mainly with F-16 and F-35 fighters, should in the future be “native to all the various platforms.”
He explained the broader implications of expanding weapons compatibility. “It goes back to the point about what weapons should someone be able to carry,” Armagost said, adding: “That’s why that matters.”
A new Universal Armament Interface under development aims to accelerate the integration of weapons with aircraft platforms. According to Air Force budget documents, the system would establish standards allowing new weapons to be added “at the speed of software.”
The fiscal year 2026 budget request indicates the interface will be used on the B-21 and support weapons such as the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Joint Direct Attack Munition, Small Diameter Bombs I and II, Stand-in Attack Weapon, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, and the Joint Strike Missile.
Armagost said that expanding weapon options also changes the strategic calculations of potential adversaries. “Having more options opens up your aperture of axis of attack, or axis of threat presentation,” he said.
At the same time, he noted that increased flexibility requires careful operational planning. “Target pairing to weapon platform matters greatly,” Armagost said, adding: “It’s really, really important that we look at the physics of carriage … [to] ideally tailor a weapon platform and maximize the strike efficiency we gain from carriage capacity.”
The exact payload capacity of the B-21 remains classified, although the aircraft is about 30 percent smaller than the B-2 bomber. A B-2 can carry two 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators or up to 80 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, meaning the B-21’s payload will be lower.
Brig. Gen. Brian Laidlaw, director of operations at Air Combat Command, emphasized that long-range strike is not limited to bombers. He noted that fighter aircraft also play a crucial role in delivering strategic effects for the Joint Force.
“I think throughout history, we’ve proven that often, not always, the Joint Force turns to the air component, because we have the ability to generate acts of violence against the enemy’s center of gravity at the time and place of the Joint Force commander’s choosing,” Laidlaw said.
The significance of long-range strike capabilities was highlighted again during Operation Epic Fury, when B-2 and B-1 bombers conducted missions from the continental United States. The operation demonstrated the ability of American bombers to conduct global strikes across long distances.
