AFA 2024 — The flight test program for the Air Force’s newest stealth bomber is heating up, with the Northrop Grumman-made B-21 Raider sometimes taking to the skies as much as twice a week, program officials said today.
Tom Jones, president of Northrop’s aeronautics sector, said the bomber’s progress during testing will pave the way for the system to be “a daily flier” later into the program.
“We’re very pleased with how it’s going… We’re actually able to generate two test flights sometimes within a week, which, if you think about how far ahead we are, that’s great,” he said.
After the bomber’s first flight in November, the Air Force and Northrop have focused on “expanding the operating envelope” for the aircraft and testing its various mission systems while in the air, said William Bailey, director of the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, which oversees the B-21 program.
In addition to the flight test aircraft, the Air Force also has two B-21s undergoing ground-based evaluations. One of those has completed structural testing, which is helping the Air Force and Northrop understand how the aircraft is performing and to validate the digital models of the B-21, Bailey said.
It is also conducting fatigue tests on another aircraft, which informs the team on how the bomber will age and perform over time, he said. The process is “not as flashy” as flight test, “however if you intend to build a lot of these and operate them for a long time, this is very important.”
The Raider is slated to replace the B-2 Spirit and the B-1 Lancer. The Air Force is planning for a minimum fleet of 100 B-21 bombers, with Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota tapped to be the first base to field the aircraft.
Last week, the Air Force approved Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and Dyess AFB, Texas, as the second and third basing locations for the Raider.
“Potential consideration for forward facing, either temporary or permanent, of this weapon system to be able to deter the various actors around the globe, I think, might be of interest to the senior policymakers,” Gen. Thomas Bussiere, Air Force Global Strike Command commander, said during the panel.
The Pentagon’s top acquisition official approved the B-21 for low-rate production in January.
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