New US flagship: Pentagon injects $10bn into B-21 Raider stealth bomber programme
June 27, 2025
The United States is positioning the B-21 Raider at the heart of its military strategy, investing $10 billion to accelerate the programme.
The allocation of this huge tranche of funding made the next generation stealth bomber the largest single investment in any US Air Force airframe in a decade.
The last major spend was in October 2015, when the Pentagon awarded a massive Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract to Northrop Grumman to develop the B-21.
The President’s Budget Request for the Department of Defense (DoD) saw substantial funds allocated for the F-47 6th generation fighter jet to the tune of $4.4 billion, as well as a demand for fewer F-35s and more F-15EX aircraft.
The B-21 Raider is coming, but too slowly
The B-21 is a proven platform, and has been flying since 2023. But progress since then has been slow, or at least it seems to be.
The testing and production of the B-21 Raider is highly classified, and it’s impossible to know for sure how many have been built. Bulgarian Military says comments made by Northrop’s CEO on an earnings call suggest around 40 units are in the process of being assembled.
TWZ reported in April that Northrop Grumman’s losses on the programme had ticked up to more than $2 billion. The manufacturer played this down, describing the losses as ‘front-loaded’ and indicating new production processes would ensure profitability in the longer term.
Shortly after, on 27 April, the DoD announced a sweeping $150 billion supplemental defence budget. A significant $4.5 billion was earmarked for the B-21 programme.
The problem is not the technology, but the speed at which the production is happening. The USAF has said it needs at least 100 of these next generation stealth bombers to replace the B-2 Spirit, although discussions continue about a fleet of 145. At present, the production rate is thought to be around three aircraft a year.
Academics writing in RealClear Defense say that even the estimated maximum production rate of 10 aircraft a year is far too slow, and that the US needs to upscale this to double the rate to meet its needs.
How will $10 billion change the B-21 Raider programme?
With an injection of $10 billion over the next financial year, Northrop Grumman can accelerate production capacity and get the factories working at full pace.
A portion of the investment will certainly be used to support flight testing at Edwards AFB to hurry the programme towards initial operational capability.
As well as Northrop Grumman, some of the budget will be directed towards the systems integration for nuclear mission readiness as a dual-capable platform. The B-21 Raider will be outfitted at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota.
Overall, the huge investment in the Raider will give the programme stability and industrial confidence, sending a powerful signal of long-term commitment that will help sustain supply chains.
