Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider

B-21 three-quarters view

The first B-21 at Northrop's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California in November 2022

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.[30][31][32] In 2017, two USAF studies suggested that Air Force could increase its initial purchase from 80-to-100 to 145 aircraft.[33]

Assembly of the B-21 takes place at the United States Air Force Plant 42 near Palmdale, California, at the same facility Northrop Grumman used during the 1980s and 1990s to build B-2 bombers.[4][34]

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.[35] By the summer of 2019, it was reported that construction of the first aircraft was underway.[36] In early 2021, several media outlets reported that as completion of the first B-21 approached, construction on the second unit had begun.[37][38]

At a congressional hearing in June 2021, Darlene Costello, the acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, confirmed that the first two B-21s were under construction at Plant 42.[39][40]

By February 2022, six B-21s were under construction.[41][42] The first B-21 was moved to a calibration facility the following month.[43] About 8,000 Northrop Grumman employees had worked on the program with more than 400 suppliers from at least 40 states.[15]

In September 2023, program officials said fueling and engine tests were proceeding ahead of the anticipated first flight by year's end.[44]

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.[45] 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".[46] 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.[4]

In December 2022, the cost of a B-21 aircraft was estimated to be $700 million.[47] 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 100 B-21s.[34]

Maintenance and sustainment of the B-21[lower-alpha 1] will be coordinated by Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, while Edwards Air Force Base, California, will lead testing and evaluation.[48] 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.[49] In March 2019, Ellsworth was selected as the base to host the first operational B-21 unit, as well as the first training unit.[50]

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 20 B-2 strategic bombers, which date from the 1990s. The B-21 may also eventually replace the B-52, which is slated to remain in service for many decades.[4][51]

Front of the B-21

In March 2022, Air Force Secretary Frank 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][56][57]

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.[58]

The report states that a B-21 could fly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) without refueling while carrying more munitions as compared to the maximum 930 miles (1,500 km) 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.[59]

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."[60] 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.[61] 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.[62]