The Air Force’s B-21 Raider flew for the first time on Friday, a milestone for the Pentagon’s first new bomber in a quarter-century. The momentous flight from Palmdale, California, was captured on camera by freelance photojournalist Matt Hartman and confirmed by Air Force officials.
The B-21 Raider is in flight testing, which includes ground testing, taxiing, and flying operations, according to Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek. Planemaker Northrop Grumman has said it expects to receive a low-rate-initial-production award after first flight. The program is on track to deliver the first B-21s in the “mid-2020s” to to Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, which will host the B-21’s training unit and serve as the plane’s first main operating base. Whiteman AFB, Missouri, and Dyess AFB, Texas, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and Edwards AFB, California will also play roles in the B-21 program.
The B-21 that flew on Friday is one of six test aircraft being produced. The Air Force plans to buy at least 100 to replace its B-1 and B-2 fleets.
