Second B-21 Raider Flies as Air Force Accelerates Test Campaign and Production
The second B-21 stealth bomber completed a flight from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base, advancing testing while production continues at Plant 42.
The U.S. Air Force said the second B-21 Raider stealth bomber completed a flight on Sept. 11 from Northrop Grumman’s production facility in Palmdale, California, to Edwards Air Force Base in the adjacent high desert, a milestone officials said will accelerate the service’s flight test campaign.
"With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum," Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a brief statement released by the service. The aircraft, nicknamed "Spartan" and designated Tail 2 by production and test personnel, joins the first test aircraft as the service advances signature verification, avionics and mission systems evaluations.
The B-21 program is intended to field a long-range stealth bomber capable of conducting both nuclear and conventional strike missions. Northrop Grumman won the contract for the aircraft in 2015, and Pentagon planning at the time called for an eventual fleet of roughly 100 aircraft procured at an initial rate of about four to five per year.
Officials and industry statements describe the B-21 as a flying-wing design constructed largely from carbon graphite composites, with internal engines and weapons bays to reduce radar signature. Program engineers have emphasized software-based flight control systems and multiple redundant sensors as part of the aircraft’s performance and survivability features.
Production work is visible inside Plant 42 in Palmdale, where multiple airframes are at various stages of final assembly, according to industry reporting and imagery. Major components, including the turbofan engines, are supplied by a network of aerospace contractors across the United States. Northrop Grumman and Air Force officials say the program has moved steadily through manufacturing and testing milestones.
Air Force officials outlined a sequence of planned tests and evaluations for the B-21 following initial flights. Those steps include continued signature measurement to confirm radar and infrared characteristics, evaluation of onboard radars and electronic warfare systems, and live weapons release testing. The service has not provided a public timeline for delivery into operational squadrons.
The B-21 is slated to replace and supplement the existing bomber fleet. The Air Force currently operates a smaller number of legacy stealth bombers and long-range strike aircraft; service leaders say the B-21 is intended to ensure long-range strike capability against advanced air defenses and to fulfill a role in the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
Reporting in Aviation Week and other outlets has noted that the B-21 program has been tracking under some budget projections. Aviation Week reported that the program was about 28% under budget across a five-year defense plan, a figure that Northrop Grumman and Pentagon officials declined to elaborate on in detail in public statements.
The flight of Tail 2 comes as U.S. defense officials and some analysts call for a larger, more resilient industrial base to support increased production rates of advanced systems. Some observers have suggested opening a second production line to accelerate delivery; such proposals would require programmatic decisions by the Department of Defense and additional funding from Congress.
Foreign air forces continue to operate long-range bombers that are not designed to the low-observable standards of the B-21. Russia fields modernized Tu-22 and Tu-95 variants, and China operates H-6 variants derived from older airframe designs, which analysts say differ fundamentally from low-observable flying-wing designs in radar cross-section and mission emphasis.
The Air Force has not released an operational date for the B-21 or specific fleet-size targets beyond earlier acquisition plans. Program officials say they will use the ongoing flight-test campaign to validate systems and inform production decisions. As testing proceeds, the service will evaluate aircraft performance, sustainment requirements and the integration of sensors and weapons to determine timelines for fielding the bomber into service.