The Air Force Flew its First B-21 in November 2023 and is Finishing Up Test Flights

US Air Force leadership, while clarifying that deadline-less operation is the “secret sauce” of the program, recently revealed that the first flight of its second B-21 Raider may come sooner than expected. The service’s first of the long-range stealth bomber has been airborne since November 2023.

Specifically, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara, the deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, said that another B-21 would be “here very soon.” He added that the first bomber is wrapping up its test flight campaign.

For now, “soon” is the only timeline we’ll be getting. Gebara noted that Northrop Grumman didn’t need “an artificial date” to add to the already stressful task of developing what many see as the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft.“That’s really been the secret sauce to the B-21 right now, is no undue pressures,” he said.

Congress has eased some stress by tossing some extra money its way. The recently signed reconciliation bill tacked on $4.5 billion for the B-21 alone, part of a $150 billion increase for the Pentagon. Northrop Grumman executives are reportedly already discussing an accelerated production ramp with the Air Force. The service ultimately plans to buy about 100 Raiders, each costing close to $700 million, with $10.3 billion penciled into the 2026 budget just for the bomber.

The B-21 is capable of intercontinental range and nuclear as well as conventional strike. It is designed to eventually replace the B-52 and B-1, while joining the B-2 as only the second stealth bomber in U.S. history. Officials insist the aircraft will be more survivable, more maintainable, and less expensive to operate than its predecessors, though many claim that this is just lawmakers calling wolf, as these expectations have been set and broken before.

FMI: www.af.mil