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A second B-21 Raider bomber has flown for the first time in California, the Air Force announced Thursday — a milestone officials say will accelerate testing of America’s first new long-range bomber in more than three decades.
“With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. He added that the service can now begin integrating weapons and mission systems into the bomber. Until now, flight testing has been limited mainly to performance checks.
The B-21, built by Northrop Grumman, is the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft and will be capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional weapons. Its stealth design is intended to penetrate deep into enemy territory and operate against increasingly advanced air defenses being fielded by China, Russia and other adversaries.
The new bomber follows in the lineage of the Cold War-era B-52 Stratofortress, the supersonic B-1 Lancer and the radar-evading B-2 Spirit.
Unlike the B-2, which cost roughly $2 billion per plane and was ultimately limited to a fleet of 21, the B-21 has been designed with a lower price tag of about $800 million per aircraft and with an open systems architecture to allow for easier technological upgrades.
The B-2, still in service, recently flew combat missions during U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
Air Force leaders have said the service plans to buy at least 100 B-21s, which will operate alongside a fleet of 76 modernized B-52J Stratofortresses well into the future. Together, the two aircraft will form the backbone of America’s bomber force, providing both long-range strike and nuclear deterrence capabilities as part of the U.S. nuclear triad.
The program is being closely watched in Washington after past aircraft programs, such as the F-35 fighter jet and KC-46 tanker, suffered significant delays and cost overruns.
Officials have kept most details about the B-21 classified, including the schedule for reaching initial operational capability, though the Air Force has said it expects the bomber to enter service in the early 2030s.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said the addition of a second test aircraft is a positive step toward that goal. “The addition of a second B-21 to the flight test program accelerates the path to fielding,” Allvin said. “By having more assets in the test environment, we bring this capability to our warfighters faster, demonstrating the urgency with which we’re tackling modernization.”
The B-21 program, which began in the early 2010s under what was then known as the Long Range Strike Bomber initiative, has been described by Pentagon leaders as essential to maintaining U.S. military advantage.
Officials have said the aircraft’s range and stealth will give commanders more options in the Indo-Pacific, where long distances and growing Chinese missile threats challenge traditional forward bases.
Northrop Grumman leads the program with a network of suppliers across the country, supporting thousands of jobs. The company unveiled the aircraft publicly for the first time in December 2022 at its Palmdale, Calif., facility, though most of its capabilities remain highly classified. Only a handful of images have been released, showing a sleek flying-wing design reminiscent of the B-2 but built with updated materials and engineering.
With testing now expanding, the Pentagon is hoping to avoid delays and deliver the bomber on time and on budget. Officials stress that the B-21 will provide the United States with a critical edge for decades to come in both conventional strike missions and nuclear deterrence.
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