B-21 Raider programme progress
September 20, 2024
The Northrop B-21A Raider is a long-range, highly survivable, low observable (stealthy) bomber that will be capable of delivering conventional and nuclear weapons. As the primary element of the “air leg” of the US nuclear triad, the B-21A is critical to deterring conflict, and is probably the USAF’s main priority.
The Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference provided a platform for Department of the Air Force (DAF) leaders and industry partners to provide updates on the B-21 Raider programme, while the Air Force released a 38 second video of the aircraft taking off and landing, and a single new still photograph.
Though the B-21A Raider is not a ‘black programme’, both Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have gone to considerable efforts to minimise the release of information, and especially of imagery of the new bomber.
But during a panel at the A&SFA’s Cyber Conference, on 18 September, senior personnel did describe how the programme is progressing.
General Thomas Bussiere, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command addressed current strategic threats posed by adversaries and highlighted the need for the bomber force. He also outlined the future capabilities that the B-21 will provide, noting that these would allow the USAF to keep pace with those threats.
“We are the free world’s only bomber force. We’re probably not going to see a decreased demand signal from our regional combatant commands on bomber task forces. That demand signal, in my opinion, is only going to go up in the years ahead. As we transition from legacy to new, the B-21 fleet will provide great comfort to our allies and should provide great pause to any potential adversary. Nobody on the planet can do what we’re doing right now. Nobody on the planet can build an exquisite, technologically-advanced platform like the B-21, and quite frankly, nobody on the planet can hold at risk what we can hold at risk at a time and place of our choosing.”
William Bailey, director of the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office provided updates about how the B-21 program is progressing.
“We’re very clear as a team what the priorities are day after day. That collaboration between operators and acquirers has been a key component of this success … that has got to be a consideration [in Great Power Competition].” He also revealed that static testing had been completed on the G-1 asset, a ground-based test airframe used to evaluate the structural integrity of the aircraft. This had confirmed that: “the structural design of the aircraft is sound and validated confidence in the digital models.”
The aircraft is now going through a fatigue testing campaign.
Thomas Jones, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector president spoke briefly about flight test progress.
“We’re really starting to strike up quite a cadence [and] generate two flight test flights in a given week,” he said. “When we started this journey, we made a vow that we were going to design this system to be a daily flyer. It’s been a phenomenal year of progress, and we hope to continue that through the next year.”
The B-21 programme has a production goal of at least 100 aircraft, and these will incrementally replace a similar number of Rockwell B-1B Lancer and Northrop B-2A Spirit bombers to become the backbone of the Air Force’s flexible global strike capability, augmenting the modernised B-52J Stratofortresses.
Ellsworth AFB, in South Dakota, will be the first B-21 main operating base and will house the formal training unit. The Air Force recently announced that the second and third basing locations for the B-21 will be Whiteman AFB, Missouri, and then Dyess AFB, Texas.
Major General Jason Armagost, Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center commander said that the Air Force is preparing for the delivery of the aircraft to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, and is laying the foundation for AFGSC squadrons to be sufficiently equipped, trained, and certified for aircraft delivery.
