The B-21 emerged from the Air Force's LRS-B program, which began in 2011 and awarded Northrop Grumman the major development contract in 2015. The USAF aimed to have the aircraft in service "in the mid-2020s".[4] By 2021, that date had slipped to 2027.[5]
As of 2025[update], many aspects of the B-21special access program were still highlyclassified, though some information has been made public since 2015. The first B-21 aircraft was unveiled in December 2022 at Northrop Grumman's production facilities inPalmdale, California. The first flight of a B-21 took place on 10 November 2023. Two other B-21s were in ground testing by September 2024, and a second B-21 took flight a year later.
This 2016 artist's rendering depicts the B-21 with a much darker color than the actual aircraft unveiled in 2022.
The Air Force launched the classifiedLong Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program in 2011[7] to create astealthy intercontinental strategic bomber that could deliverconventional andthermonuclear weapons.[8] The service issued a request for proposals to develop an LRS-B aircraft in July 2014[7][9] and awarded a development contract to Northrop Grumman in October 2015.[10] The contract award was protested byBoeing andLockheed Martin, who had submitted a joint bid[11], but a year later theGovernment Accountability Office (GAO) sustained the USAF's decision. The GAO report revealed that cost was the deciding factor in selecting Northrop Grumman over the Boeing-Lockheed Martin team.[12][13]
At the 2016 Air Warfare Symposium, Air Force officials announced that the LRS-B would be designated "B-21" because it would be the 21st century's first bomber.[16] In September 2016, Air Force officials announced that the B-21 would be named "Raider" in honor of theDoolittle Raiders.[17] Retired Lt. Col.Richard E. Cole, the last member of the Doolittle Raiders then living, was present at the naming ceremony at theAir Force Association conference.[18]
In 2016, theF-35 program manager Chris Bogdan said the B-21's engines would be similar enough to the F-35'sPratt & Whitney F135 engine to reduce its cost.[21]
The cockpit windows of the B-21 are unique to the aircraft, and designed to eliminate joints and seams to minimizeradar cross-section.
The program completed its critical design review in December 2018.[22] In January 2020, Air Force officials released new B-21 renderings, showing the distinctive flush and blended inlets and the two-wheel main landing gear design. The drawing appeared to show a smaller, lighter aircraft than the B-2.[23][24] Similar to the B-2, it is aflying wing andlambda wing design.[25]
In February 2016, the head of theAir Force Global Strike Command said he expected the service would place an initial order for 100 B-21s and build up to a full fleet of 175 to 200.[26][9] In 2017, two USAF studies suggested that the Air Force could increase its initial purchase from 80-to-100 to 145 aircraft.[27]
B-21 in a hangar atPlant 42 in Palmdale, California
In January 2017, Northrop Grumman was awarded a $35.8 million contract modification for a large coatings facility at Plant 42, to be completed by the end of 2019. The contract announcement did not mention the B-21, but the facility is thought likely to be for B-21 stealth coating.[29] By the summer of 2019, it was reported that construction of the first aircraft was underway.[30] In early 2021, several media outlets reported that as completion of the first B-21 approached, construction on the second unit had begun.[31][32]
The first B-21 at Northrop's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, November 2022
By February 2022, six B-21s were under construction.[35][36] The first B-21 was moved to a calibration facility the following month.[37] About 8,000 Northrop Grumman employees had worked on the program with more than 400 suppliers from at least 40 states.[15]
Video of the B-21 Raider unveiling in Palmdale, California, on 2 December 2022
The first B-21 test aircraft was unveiled at Northrop Grumman's production facilities in Palmdale, California, on 2 December 2022.[38][39][40] At the unveiling, Northrop CEOKathy Warden said that the B-21 is designed with modular,open systems architecture to allow easy upgrades[a] and, potentially, the ability to export components to foreign buyers.[42] Warden said that the B-21's internal operations were "extremely advanced compared to the B-2" and that the B-21 was slightly smaller than the B-2, but therange was longer.[39]
The first B-21s are notprototypes but rather test aircraft that the Air Force will convert to operational configuration after the completion of tests.[38][43]
In September 2023, program officials said fueling and engine tests were proceeding ahead of the anticipated first flight by year's end.[44] The first test flight of the B-21 took place on 10 November 2023 at the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.[45]
In July 2016, the USAF said it would not release the estimated cost of Northrop's B-21 contract as the number would reveal too much about the classified project to potential adversaries. TheSenate Armed Services Committee also voted not to publicly release the program's cost, restricting the information to congressional defense committees, over the objections of a bipartisan group of legislators led by the committee's chairman, SenatorJohn McCain.[46] McCain's proposed revisions to theNational Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 would have reduced authorization for the B-21 program by $302 million "due to a lower-than-expected contract award value", while requiring "strict... program baseline and cost control thresholds", "quarterly program performance reports", and "disclosure of the engineering and manufacturing development total contract award value".[47] The versions of the 2017 NDAA as initially passed by the House and Senate would have required public disclosure of the total cost of the B-21, but this provision was removed in the finalconference report version.[14]
In December 2022, the cost of the B-21 was estimated at $700 million per aircraft.[48] At the time, Air Force officials estimated that they would spend at least $203 billion over 30 years to develop, purchase, and operate a fleet of at least 100 B-21s.[28]
Maintenance and sustainment of the B-21[a] will be coordinated byTinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, whileEdwards Air Force Base, California, will lead testing and evaluation.[49] The B-21 is expected to operate from bases that currently host heavy bombers, such asDyess Air Force Base, Texas;Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota; andWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.[50] In March 2019, Ellsworth was selected as the base to host the first operational B-21 unit, as well as the first training unit.[51]
The B-21 is intended by 2040 to replace the US Air Force's 45B-1 strategic bombers, which date from the 1980s, and 19 B-2 strategic bombers, which date from the 1990s. The B-21 may also eventually replace the USAF's 72B-52 bombers, which originally date from the 1950s and as of 2022[update] are planned to remain in service for many further decades.[14][52] The USAF plans to replace its bomber fleet and most of the service's nuclear delivery weapons, including its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The Air Force is focusing onIndo-Pacific operations around the B-21. Officials say it is a crucial platform in a potential conflict with China, while the B-2 Spirit was developed considering conflict with theSoviet Union.[53][54][55]
The B-21 will be assigned to carry theAGM-181 LRSO nuclear air-to-ground cruise missile,[56] theB61 Mod 12 nuclear glide bomb,[56] and theB61 Mod 13nuclear bunker buster.[57] The LRSO will also be assigned to the B-52 but not the B-2,[58] and is expected to have a range of at least 1,500 mi (2,400 km).[59] The B61 Mod 12 is also assigned to the B-2 and a range of fighters including the F-35, but the F-35 will not carry the Mod 13.[57]
The B-21 will be able to carry conventional weapons, including theAGM-158 JASSM-ER extended-range variant,[56] capable of at least 620 mi (1,000 km).[60]
The second B-21 (foreground) and the first B-21 (background, inside hangar) at Edwards Air Force Base, September 2025
In March 2022,Air Force SecretaryFrank Kendall III raised the possibility of a bomber drone to work with the bomber,[61][62] but the idea was later dropped because it would not save much money to produce such a large, unmanned aircraft.[63]
The report stated that a B-21 could fly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) without refueling while carrying more munitions than the maximum 930-mile (1,500 km) range of the RAAF'sF-35 fighter jets, which require air-to-air refueling for longer missions. A single B-21 can also deliver the same impact as several F-35As. Additionally, the B-21 can attack targets from secure air bases located in Australia's south, with greater proximity to more personnel, fuel, and munitions.[66]
During bilateral talks held in August 2022, it was reported that the US might allow Australia to procure the B-21. When asked if the US would consider allowing Australia to join in developing the B-21 bomber, USAF Secretary Frank Kendall stated, "I don't think that there's any fundamental limitation on the areas in which we can cooperate. If Australia had a requirement for long-range strike, then we'd be willing to have a conversation with them about that."[67] However, the Defence Strategic Review released by the Australian government on 24 April 2023 stated that the B-21 was not considered a suitable option for acquisition.[68] Australia will instead invest in upgrading its F-35As andF/A-18Fs to the latest Block 4 and Block III configurations, respectively, to enable both aircraft to launch theAGM-158C LRASM and theJoint Strike Missile.[69]
As part of anInstitute of Public Affairs paper released in August 2024, the first of six recommendations encouraged the Australian government to reconsider its position on the Raider and states that it should purchase the Raider to reconcile a long-range strike gap should theAUKUS program have delays.[70]
B-21 at Edwards Air Force Base during flight testing in January 2024
The test program is managed by the USAir Force Test Center and the412th Test Wing's B-21 Combined Test Force, which includes Northrop Grumman personnel.[71][72] The B-21 took its maiden flight on 10 November 2023.[73] On 17 January 2024, the B-21 flew its second publicly acknowledged test flight, from Edwards Air Force Base.[53] By September 2024, three test aircraft were in service: one performing one or two flight tests per week, and the others involved in ground tests.[74] On 11 September 2025, the second B-21 conducted its maiden flight.[75]
^D'Urso, Stefano (17 January 2021)."Second B-21 Raider Under Construction As The First One Approaches Roll-Out In Early 2022".theaviationist.com.Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved5 February 2021.The new bomber will be ready for service around 2026 or 2027, according to Lt. Gen. James C. Dawkins, Jr., Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration.
^"Air Force announces bases to support B-21 Raider mission" (Press release).AFNS. 16 November 2018.Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved11 February 2019.The Air Force has selected Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, to coordinate maintenance and sustainment of the B-21 Raider and Edwards AFB, California, to lead testing and evaluation of the next generation long-range strike bomber.
United States (100 planned)[76]
