B-21 Raider Takes First Flight

The stealth bomber is officially in flight testing, the Air Force confirms.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, November 10, 2023 at 12:50 PM ET

Verified

Northrop Grumman's B-21 [Courtesy: Northrop Grumman]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force's B-21 Raider stealth bomber successfully conducted its first flight, a critical step in its development and testing phase.
This new stealth bomber is designed to provide survivable, long-range conventional and nuclear strike capabilities to deter aggression.
The B-21 is slated to replace the aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets, with full operational status projected for the mid-2020s.
Edwards Air Force Base is leading the flight testing and evaluation, while Ellsworth Air Force Base has been designated as the first main operating base for the B-21.

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The U.S. Air Force’s top-secret B-21 Raider stealth bomber has conducted its first flight.

The stealth bomber, which was unveiled by Northrop Grumman to the public in December and confirmed by the service to be undergoing taxi testing last month, had long been projected to make its first flight by the end of the year. That met deadline was confirmed Friday when freelance journalist Matt Hartman posted a video of an aloft B-21 on X, formerly known as Twitter.