By: Aaron Johnson
The recent maiden flight of the latest highly classified stealth bomber, known as the B-21 Raider, occurred on Friday morning. This event comes nearly a year after the aircraft was initially revealed to the public, amidst escalating global tensions in the Pacific and Middle East regions.
Reports and visuals emerged online, showcasing the B-21 Raider taxiing on the runway at the Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, before taking to the skies. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed to Military.com that the B-21 has entered the flight testing phase.
“Flight testing is a critical step in the test campaign managed by the Air Force Test Center and 412th Test Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force to provide survivable, long-range, penetrating strike capabilities to deter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners,” Stefanek explained. “Flight testing includes ground testing, taxiing, and flying operations.”
Videos capturing the B-21 Raider’s flight over Palmdale circulated, though the Air Force did not officially publicize the event. Freelance and aviation photographers were among the first to witness the takeoff. The bomber was publicly unveiled in December 2022.
Developed by Northrop Grumman, the B-21 is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear munitions, playing a pivotal role in the modernization of America’s nuclear triad. The B-21 Raider project was awarded to Northrop in 2015, with the company also responsible for the B-2 Spirit, the previous generation of bomber.
Named after the U.S. Army Air Force’s Doolittle Raiders from World War II, the B-21’s specific details, such as size, payload, and technology, remain undisclosed. According to an Air Force fact sheet, the B-21 was “designed to accommodate manned or unmanned operations,” reflecting the military’s increasing reliance on unmanned aircraft.
The Pentagon plans to manufacture 100 B-21s, with an average unit cost of approximately $700 million. The Raider program’s production costs are estimated to reach around $20 billion through 2027, based on budget documents.
Multiple Air Force bases will play integral roles in the B-21’s mission, including Ellsworth Air Force Base, Whiteman Air Force Base, Dyess Air Force Base, Tinker Air Force Base, and Edwards Air Force Base, each contributing to various aspects such as operations, training, maintenance, and testing. Stefanek noted, “Six test aircraft are being produced now, built on the same production line, using the same tools, processes, and technicians that will build the production aircraft.”
