Pentagon Greenlights B-21 Production

The U.S. Air Force’s B-21 Raider stealth bomber has officially moved into low-rate initial production, a Pentagon official has confirmed. [Courtesy: Northrop Grumman]

The U.S. Air Force's B-21 Raider stealth bomber has officially moved into low-rate initial production, a Pentagon official has confirmed.

The news comes more than two months after the Air Force's top-secret stealth bomber—the first new bomber for the service in more than 30 years—took its first flight on November 10.

READ MORE: B-21 Raider Takes First Flight

A second test flight came on January 17, the Air Force confirmed.

According to Northrop Grumman, six B-21 bombers are in various stages of final assembly and testing at its facility in Palmdale, California

"This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team’s mature plans for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-21s at a low rate,” William LaPlante, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in a statement Monday.

Bloomberg first reported the news of the low-rate initial production contract.

“One of the key attributes of this program has been designing for production from the start—and at scale—to provide a credible d eterrent to adversaries,” LaPlante said. “If you don’t produce and field warfighters at scale, the capability doesn’t really matter.”

Designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions, the B-21 is set to eventually replace aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets. The B-21 is scheduled to hit full operational status in the mid-2020s.

READ MORE: Northrop Grumman Pulls the Cover Off B-21 Raider

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 of the aircraft. Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, has been designated as the first main operating base for the B-21 and B-21 formal training unit.