Back Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Afrikaans Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider AN نورثروب غرومان بي-21 رايدر Arabic Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Byelorussian নরথ্রপ গ্রামেন বি-২১ রেইডার Bengali/Bangla Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Czech Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Danish Northrop Grumman B-21 German Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Spanish Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Estonian

Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider

"B-21" redirects here. For other uses, see B21 (disambiguation).

B-21 Raider
B-21 Raider in a hangar at Plant 42, Palmdale, California
B-21 in a hangar at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California
Role Stealth strategic bomber
National origin United States
Manufacturer Northrop Grumman
First flight 10 November 2023
Status Low rate initial production[1]
Primary user United States Air Force
Number built 1

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is an American strategic bomber under development for the United States Air Force (USAF) by Northrop Grumman. As part of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, it is to be a long-range, stealth intercontinental strategic bomber for the USAF, able to deliver conventional and thermonuclear weapons.[2][3][4] The Air Force intends the B-21 to replace the Rockwell B-1 Lancer and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit by 2040, and possibly the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress after that.[5]

The Air Force began planning for the B-21 in 2011[6] and awarded the major development contract in 2015.[7] The B-21 made its first flight on 10 November 2023. It is expected to enter service by 2027.[8][9][10][11]

Many aspects of the B-21 program are highly classified; the program is designated as a special access program.[5] The Congressional Research Service noted in 2021 that the B-21's technical details and specifications, such as speed, enabling systems, "size, required stealth, structure, number and type of engines, projected weapons, and onboard sensors remain classified" although some information about various other aspects of the program have been made public since 2015.[5] The first photos of the aircraft were released on 2 December 2022, taken during a rollout ceremony at Northrop Grumman's production facilities in Palmdale, California.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference lrip_announced_jan_2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Gulick, Ed (12 July 2014). "AF moves forward with future bomber". U.S. Air Force. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023.
  3. ^ Petersen, Melody (7 February 2015). "New stealth bomber contract likely to be boon for Antelope Valley". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023.
  4. ^ Osborn, Kris (28 March 2017). "The Northrop Grumman B-21 Stealth Bomber: Simply Unstoppable?". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Hoehn, John R.; Gertler, Jeremiah (22 September 2021). "Air Force B-21 Raider Long-Range Strike Bomber". Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. B-21s would initially replace the fleets of B-1 and B-2 bombers, and could possibly replace B-52s in the future.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Majumdar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Weisgerber was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ D'Urso, Stefano (17 January 2021). "Second B-21 Raider Under Construction As The First One Approaches Roll-Out In Early 2022". The Aviationist. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  9. ^ Tirpak, John A. (20 May 2022). "B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  10. ^ Decker, Audrey (10 November 2023). "B-21 takes flight, heads to Edwards AFB for more tests". Defense One. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. ^ Ortiz, Miguel (12 November 2023). "WATCH: B-21 Raider stealth bomber flies for first time". We Are The Mighty. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  12. ^ Hadley, Greg; Tirpak, John A. (12 September 2023). "CSAF Shows Off New Images of the B-21; Raider Begins Engine Runs". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023.

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