The US Air Force (USAF) has released new footage of its next-generation stealth bomber in flight.
Northrop Grumman is developing the nuclear-capable B-21 Raider flying wing, which began flight testing in late 2023. There are currently three B-21 vehicles undergoing testing at Edwards AFB in California, according to company officials, including one flightworthy example and two used for ground testing.
The lone flying aircraft is currently able to generate up to two test sorties per week, which Northrop is hailing as evidence of its commitment to making the Raider a “daily flyer”.
“I am very pleased with how that’s going,” said Tom Jones, vice-president of Northrop’s aeronautic systems division, on 18 September. “We’ve been able to make significant expansions of the flight envelope.”
Jones spoke alongside senior air force bomber officers at the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) conference near Washington DC.
Northrop’s focus on delivering an aircraft that can serve as a daily flyer was driven by maintenance challenges with the B-21’s predecessor and fellow Northrop design – the B-2 Spirit.
While that bomber pioneered both stealth technology and the flying-wing design, it is notoriously difficult to maintain. Combined with a small fleet of just 20 aircraft, the result was highly limited fleet capacity for the only nuclear-capable stealth bomber in the inventory.
The USAF and Northrop used those issues to both inform the B-21’s design and development programme. The air force has committed to acquiring at least 100 Raiders, and imposed strict price controls on Northrop to maintain that fleet target.
Jones says the first B-21 test aircraft already being able to fly twice weekly is evidence that the company is making good on its commitment.
“I think we’re well on our way to delivering a kind of asset that can be that daily flyer,” he says.
Northrop was approved to start low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the new bomber in January. The manufacturer and the government have agreed to pricing for the first 21 Raider aircraft, with each example costing an average of $550 million in 2010 dollar values.
Final pricing for additional aircraft are still subject to negotiation, Northrop says. However, the company adds it has established “not exceed pricing for an additional 19 aircraft”.
The air force has previously said it expects to receive the first operational B-21 sometime in the mid-2020s. That aircraft will be stationed Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota.
Once the new type is fielded in significant numbers, the USAF plans to retire its ageing B-2s and Boeing B-1B supersonic bombers, although there has already been some pushback on the latter proposition in Washington.
The air force expects its Boeing B-52 bombers will continue flying for several decades alongside the new Raider fleet. Those Cold War-era jets will be modernised in the coming decade, with the result to be designated the B-52J.
