The Air Force began planning for the B-21 in 2011 and awarded the major development contract in 2015, aiming to have it in service "in the mid-2020s".[3] By 2021, that date had slipped to 2027.[4]
As of 2021[update], many aspects of the B-21 special access program were still highly classified, though some information about various other aspects of the program have been made public since 2015. The first B-21 aircraft was unveiled at a 2 December 2022 ceremony at Northrop Grumman's production facilities in Palmdale, California. The first flight of a B-21 occurred on 10 November 2023. By September 2024, three airworthy B-21s were involved in program testing.
The B-21 in this 2016 artist's rendering was a notably darker gray than the actual plane rolled out in 2022.
The classified Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program began in 2011,[5] to create a stealth intercontinental strategic bomber for the USAF, able to deliver conventional and thermonuclear weapons.[6] The Air Force issued a request for proposal to develop an LRS-B aircraft in July 2014.[5][7] A development contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in October 2015.[8]Boeing and Lockheed Martin, who submitted losing bids for the project, filed bid protests;[9] in October 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) rejected the challenges and sustained the USAF's decision to award the LRS-B contract to Northrop Grumman. The GAO report revealed that cost was the deciding factor in selecting Northrop Grumman over the Boeing-Lockheed Martin team.[10][11]
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.[15] In September 2016, Air Force officials announced that the B-21 would be named "Raider" in honor of the Doolittle Raiders.[16] Retired Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, then the last living member of the Doolittle Raiders, was present at the naming ceremony at the Air Force Association conference.[17]
In 2016, the F-35 program manager Chris Bogdan said the B-21's engines would be similar enough to the F-35's Pratt & Whitney F135 engine to reduce its cost.[20]
The cockpit windows of the B-21 are unique to the aircraft, and designed to eliminate joints and seams to minimize its radar cross-section.
The program completed its critical design review in December 2018.[21] 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.[22][23]
Production and assembly
In February 2016, the head of the Air 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.[24] In 2017, two USAF studies suggested that Air Force could increase its initial purchase from 80-to-100 to 145 aircraft.[25]
B-21 in a hangar at Plant 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 specifically mention B-21, but the facility was likely meant for B-21 stealth coating.[27] By the summer of 2019, it was reported that construction of the first aircraft was underway.[28] In early 2021, several media outlets reported that as completion of the first B-21 approached, construction on the second unit had begun.[29][30]
The first B-21 at Northrop's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California in November 2022
By February 2022, six B-21s were under construction.[33][34] The first B-21 was moved to a calibration facility the following month.[35] About 8,000 Northrop Grumman employees had worked on the program with more than 400 suppliers from at least 40 states.[14]
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.[36][37][38] At the unveiling, Northrop CEO Kathy 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.[40] 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, with a longer range.[37]
The first B-21s are not prototypes but rather test aircraft that the Air Force will convert to operational configuration after the completion of tests.[36][41]
In September 2023, program officials said fueling and engine tests were proceeding ahead of the anticipated first flight by year's end.[42] The first test flight of the B-21 took place on 10 November 2023 at the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.[43]
In July 2016, the USAF said it would not release the estimated cost of Northrop's B-21 contract, asserting that the number would reveal too much information about the classified project to potential adversaries. The Senate Armed Services Committee also voted to not 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, Senator John McCain.[44] McCain's proposed revisions to the National Defense Authorization Act 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".[45] 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 final conference report version.[12]
In December 2022, the cost of the B-21 was estimated at $700 million per aircraft.[46] 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.[26]
Maintenance, sustainment, and operation
Maintenance and sustainment of the B-21[a] will be coordinated by Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, while Edwards Air Force Base, California, will lead testing and evaluation.[47] The B-21 is expected to operate from bases that currently host heavy bombers, such as Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota; and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.[48] In March 2019, Ellsworth was selected as the base to host the first operational B-21 unit, as well as the first training unit.[49]
The B-21 is slated to, by 2040, replace the U.S. Air Force's 45 B-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 B-52, which originally dates from the 1950s and is slated to remain in service for many decades.[12][50] The USAF plans to replace its bomber fleet and most of the service’s nuclear delivery weapons, including its ICBMs. The Air Force is focusing on Indo-Pacific operations around the B-21, which officials say is a crucial platform in a potential fight against China.[51]
Potential related projects
Front of the B-21
In March 2022, Air Force SecretaryFrank Kendall III raised the possibility of a bomber drone to work with the bomber,[52][53] but the idea was later dropped because it would not save much money to produce such a large, unmanned aircraft.[54]
The USAF is also planning to acquire a new long-range fighter from its Next Generation Air Dominance program, known as the F-X or "Penetrating Counter-Air", to escort the B-21 deep into enemy territory and help it survive enemy air defenses and intercepting fighters.[55]
Possible Australian interest
In December 2022, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute report advocated the acquisition of a number of B-21 Raiders to enable Australia to have a greater long-range strike capability.[56]
The report states that a B-21 could fly 2,500 miles (4,000km) without refueling while carrying more munitions as compared to the maximum 930 miles (1,500km) range of the RAAF's F-35 fighter jets, which require air-to-air refueling. 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.[57]
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, Air Force 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."[58] 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.[59] Australia will instead invest in the upgrading of its F-35As and F/A-18Fs to the latest Block 4 and Block III configurations, respectively, to enable both aircraft to be capable of launching the AGM-158C LRASM and the Joint Strike Missile.[60]
As part of an Institute of Public Affairs paper released in August 2024, the first of six recommendations encourages the Australian Government to reconsider their position on the Raider, and stating that they should purchase it to reconcile a long-range strike gap should the AUKUS program have delays.[61] The Royal Australian Air Force has expressed interest in purchasing the B-21 under the AUKUS collaboration.[62][63]
Flight and testing
B-21 at Edwards Air Force Base during flight testing in January 2024
The test program is managed by the Air Force Test Center and the 412th Test Wing's B-21 Combined Test Force, which includes Northrop Grumman personnel.[64][65] The first B-21 made its maiden flight on 10 November 2023.[66] On 17 January 2024, the B-21 flew its second publicly acknowledged test flight from Edwards AFB.[51] 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.[67]
1 2 On 29 November 2022, Northrop Grumman announced that it would use a cloud-baseddigital twin to support B-21 operations and sustainment.[39]
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↑ 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. Retrieved 5 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. Retrieved 11 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.
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