Second Airworthy Bomber Should Be Airborne by 2026

General Thomas A. Bussiere, head of the USAF's Global Strike Command, told reporters he expects a second developmental B-21 bomber to be taking flight soon, which should help alleviate the load on their current prototype in service.

So far, the single demonstrator aircraft has been hard at work, sortieing about twice a week on average. There's a lot weighing on one plane: The B-21 represents the biggest clean-sheet bomber development in decades, and a long-awaited replacement for the stalwart B-2 Spirit. The USAF has played actual production numbers pretty close to the chest, but the going estimate seems to be half a dozen or so laid down or in the works. The first two demonstrators will help with the flight testing and systems integration one expects in such a futuristic aircraft, but should they be needed for combat it shouldn't be too hard to ready them for duty, once they're far enough along.

One would think that the B-2's recent headlining performance would lend some credence to the need for the updated B-21, but there are some speed bumps on the way to increased production: The Air Force has said they want to kick B-21 production into high gear, but Northrop Grumman wants a fatter profit margins before sinking their own funding into a new factory. Congress had already approved $4.5 billion in funds to add production capacity to the B-21 line, but Northrop insiders believe they could build more efficiently with their current footprint after some optimization. The company's Palmdale, California campus is already set up for production of the brand-new stealth bomber, after all – starting a new factory from scratch is a million headaches in itself, with inevitable teething issues training the personnel and developing the supply chain, among thousands of other challenges.

Then again, world events should have really drilled in the old adage that "one is none, two is one." And when something is a load-bearing pillar of the country's national defense, it's reasonable to split all the eggs between two baskets.

FMI: www.af.mil