The U.S. Air Force's B-21 "Raider" bomber, built by Northrop Grumman and designed with a flying wing shape, made its inaugural flight on Friday, according to a Reuters witness. The B-21 departed from Northrop's facility at the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, at sunrise, providing the first unscripted glimpse of the new bomber, which has been developed under stringent security measures.
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The aircraft, which shares the "flying wing" design of its predecessor, the B-2, is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons globally, thanks to its long-range and mid-air refueling capabilities. The projected cost of each aircraft is approximately $550 million in 2010 dollars or about $750 million in today's inflation-adjusted dollars.
However, other pricing information has been classified by the Air Force. The Air Force plans to purchase at least 100 of these planes to replace the B-1 and B-2 bombers. The B-21 Raider is currently in flight testing, with six test aircraft being produced. These are being constructed on the same line, using the same tools, processes, and technicians that will build the production aircraft. Northrop won the 2015 contract to manufacture the bomber, beating out a team composed of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The B-21 was publicly revealed in December 2022, but its first flight has been eagerly anticipated for years.
The B-21 program is in the Engineering and Manufacturing Development Phase and is expected to deliver aircraft to Ellsworth Air Force Base in the mid-2020s. Northrop refers to the plane as a sixth-generation aircraft due to its ability to connect to other aircraft and seamlessly integrate future weapons into its systems architecture. The B-21 also features a more durable, stealth-enabling observable surface material that is expected to require less maintenance and reduce operational costs and downtime
