The U.S. Air Force’s newest bomber, the B-21 Raider, will be based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, was previously selected as the first base for the B-21 Raider.
The B-21 Raider, developed by Northrop Grumman, is the Air Force’s first bomber introduced since the Cold War. It will have nuclear capabilities, regular munitions, and be able to support both manned and unmanned operations. The stealth bomber made its first test flight on November 10, 2023, from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
The Air Force plans to purchase at least 100 B-21s to replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, Air Force Global Strike Command commander, highlighted the B-21’s production milestones and capabilities. The first video of the B-21 in flight was released recently.
Thomas Jones, sector president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, mentioned that the B-21 program is conducting two flight test flights weekly in preparation for its operational readiness. Discussions on the B-21 program’s progress took place at the recent Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
