First B-21 Aircraft Marks Ground Testing Milestone

The U.S. Air Force's new Raider stealth bomber is expected to take its first flight next year, Northrop Grumman said.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 02:30 PM ET

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The stealth bomber is designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions and slated to hit full operations in the mid-2020s. [Courtesy: Northrop Grumman]

Key Takeaways:

The B-21 Raider stealth bomber has successfully completed loads calibration testing, verifying its structural integrity and validating its digital design process, keeping it on schedule for its first flight in 2023.
Ellsworth Air Force Base, the designated main operating base for the B-21, has begun construction on new support facilities, the first of over 30 planned projects.
The U.S. Air Force plans to acquire at least 100 B-21 aircraft for long-range conventional and nuclear missions, with six bombers already in production.

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The B-21 Raider, the U.S. Air Force’s next generation of stealth bomber, has successfully completed loads calibration testing and is on track to take its first flight next year, according to Northrop Grumman.

The news emerged as Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota—location of the first operational B-21 Raider unit—broke ground last week on a 95,000-square-foot Low Observable Restoration Facility. The facility is the first of more than 30 projects slated for the base to support the aircraft, the Associated Press reported.