COMMENTARY: The United States Air Force has a new, highly classified aircraft called the B-21 Bomber. With more on this quietly released affair, here is MTSU Professor of Journalism Larry Burriss…

VERBATIM: In a couple of weeks the Air Force will show the public its new bomber, the B-21 Raider. Ordinarily this kind of thing would be a public affairs extravaganza attended by government officials and certainly by reporters who would be given almost exclusive access and prime viewing areas for photographs.

But not this time.

The new aircraft is apparently loaded with external features associated with propulsion, stealth and all sorts of antenna related to offensive and defensive capabilities, all of which are highly classified.

So during the unveiling reporters, and almost everyone else, will only be able to see the aircraft at a distance, from certain angles. And even then photographers will be limited to using short lenses with limited magnification.

It’s also interesting that no production photographs have been released.

All we have seen is two artist renderings, vetted by security officials, that show absolutely no details other than wheels, wings and windows, and lots of shadows.

Recently the builder of the aircraft, Northrup Grumman, released an 11-second video supposedly showing the flying-wing style bomber, covered by a ghostly white sheet.

Now you may have seen what appears to be several…