According to Northrop Grumman’s announcement, the U.S. Air Force’s B-21 Raider bomber is now conducting two flights per week since its first test flight at the end of 2023, as reported by program officials during the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference of the Air Force Association (AFA).
Emerging from the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, the B-21 Raider, designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman, is intended to become part of the backbone of the U.S. Strategic Bomber Force for the next quarter-century. With its introduction and entry into service in the latter half of the decade, it aims to quickly replace the current B-1B Lancer and eventually the B-2 Spirit, with plans to manufacture up to one hundred units.
Northrop Grumman’s president, Tom Jones, emphasized that the flight envelope of the B-21 has been expanded to date. “We are verifying that the model is accurate enough for our test points and testing plan, which is very encouraging,” Jones stated.
The flight tests, being conducted from Edwards Air Force Base in California, have largely validated the predicted digital performance. Jones also mentioned that there are currently three aircraft in the testing phase, although he did not specify when a second B-21 would make its flight. “We have one in flight testing and two in structural testing,” he added.
It’s important to note that since the start of testing at the end of last year at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in California, the B-21 has demonstrated and confirmed that the steps taken so far have been successful, thanks to the new approach adopted by the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, which mandates that test aircraft must be as representative and similar as possible to production models. This includes being manufactured on the same production line, using the same materials and tools that will eventually be used in that phase.
Finally, a spokesperson for the Air Force clarified that the three B-21s mentioned by Jones are part of the six bombers that the Air Force has acknowledged are at some stage of construction. Additionally, Raider William Bailey, director of the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, which is responsible for managing the B-21’s development, explained that it has been designed with an open architecture, allowing for adaptation to potential changes in future threats.
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