Breaking News: US Air Force to test first two combat-capable B-21 Raider strategic bombers in 2026
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As reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine on July 14, 2025, the U.S. Air Force has confirmed that at least two B-21 Raider stealth strategic bombers will be flying in fiscal year 2026. These aircraft, although configured for testing, are structurally aligned with production standards and can be converted for combat use by removing non-operational instrumentation such as the nose boom. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Northrop Grumman produces the B-21 Raider at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, using facilities originally built for the B-2 program in the 1990s. (Picture source: Edwards Air Force Base)
The US Air Force has reiterated that the B-21 program has been designed from the outset to produce test aircraft that are as close to operational configuration as possible, preserving their usability if required in a contingency. This concept was in place when the Long-Range Strike Bomber contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in 2015, with the service stating early B-21s would be “usable assets.” The classification of whether these test-configured aircraft represent the platform’s initial operational capability remains unresolved, as that determination is the responsibility of Air Force Global Strike Command, which did not disclose specific criteria. Additionally, the Air Force has acknowledged inaccuracies in the 2026 B-21 budget tables but has not indicated when corrections will be issued.
The Department of the Air Force’s FY 2026 budget allocates $10.3 billion to the B-21 Raider program across procurement, research and development, modernization, and military construction categories. Procurement totals $5.41 billion, including $3.31 billion in discretionary and $2.09 billion in mandatory funds, with $862 million allocated for advance procurement activities tied to long-lead components and production support. Development funding amounts to $3.98 billion, including $1.59 billion in discretionary and $2.39 billion in reconciliation funding, sustaining test aircraft construction, infrastructure expansion, and integration efforts. A separate modernization line under Project 644044 receives $757 million in discretionary funds, an increase of $369 million over FY 2025. These funds support risk reduction, nuclear certification, sensor integration, and structural updates for future configurations. The B-21 program operates under Special Access Program oversight, and the US Air Force has confirmed that the long-term acquisition objective remains “at least 100” aircraft, intended to replace the B-1 and B-2 fleets by the early 2030s. Ellsworth Air Force Base is designated as both the initial training site and first operational location, with associated military construction underway since 2022.
Northrop Grumman produces the B-21 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, using facilities originally built for the B-2 program. According to the Air Force, the planned production increase can be accommodated within this site and across several Tier 1 supplier locations. These include BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire; Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; GKN Aerospace in St. Louis, Missouri; Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley, Washington; and Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas. Pratt & Whitney, a division of RTX, manufactures the B-21’s engines. Northrop Grumman took a $477 million charge in early 2025 to implement a manufacturing process change supporting a higher production rate. This cost increase reflects a broader $2 billion cumulative loss incurred under the program’s fixed-price structure. Air Force responses have indicated that expanding the program’s output does not require construction of new factories, but instead will focus on investments in tooling, workforce, and existing infrastructure. The classified production rate is believed to be between 7 and 8 aircraft per year. The budget does not specify how soon output may increase or to what annual quantity. Despite industry readiness to scale manufacturing, the Air Force has not provided a detailed timeline or targets for production beyond current levels.
Flight and ground testing of the B-21 is ongoing at Edwards Air Force Base under the 412th Test Wing and the Air Force Test Center. As of early 2025, three aircraft are involved in the test campaign, with one conducting regular flight operations and two supporting ground-based evaluations of structural performance and systems integration. Additional airframes are scheduled to join testing activities in the near term. The Air Force confirmed that the test aircraft are production-representative units, not prototypes, and will be transitioned to operational roles after evaluation is complete. The program reached Milestone C in 2023, authorizing entry into low-rate initial production. Northrop Grumman reported progress in capability development and sustainment preparations, including the establishment of training systems and modernization planning. Flight testing began with the first aircraft on 10 November 2023, and subsequent tests have continued on schedule. The company has not disclosed the number of test flights completed, but it confirmed efforts to validate aircraft performance and gather operational data. These activities are consistent with the transition from the engineering, manufacturing, and development phase into early operational capability preparation.
Strategic documentation highlights the B-21 Raider’s role as a dual-capable platform designed to deliver conventional and nuclear munitions, supporting both long-range strike and deterrence missions. Its open systems architecture is intended to facilitate incremental upgrades and system integration. In June 2025, the Trump administration proposed a $5.4 billion procurement line for FY 2026, advancing B-21 funding levels by at least two years compared to the previous administration’s projections. As noted by AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD), this figure represents a 38 percent increase from the prior planned amount and brings B-21 funding levels in line with or exceeding recent annual purchases of the F-35A. Independent commentary suggests that while the Air Force remains committed to acquiring at least 100 aircraft, some internal assessments recommend a fleet of 145 to 200 Raiders to replace both the B-1 and B-2. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin stated in June 2025 that the service should avoid accelerating production excessively and that future investments might prioritize next-generation systems after completion of the 100-aircraft target. Tom Jones, Northrop’s aeronautics sector vice president, emphasized that future scale-up depends on tooling, floor space, and supply chain readiness, but noted that current contract terms do not allow for surge production costs to be factored into pricing. Allowing such costs could change how industry approaches expansion.
The Raider will also serve as the primary delivery platform for the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP). The Air Force initiated this program to replace the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator following the munition’s first combat use during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. During that operation, B-2 bombers dropped 14 GBU-57s on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz. Initial battle damage assessments suggested that some infrastructure may have survived, prompting renewed emphasis on improved guidance, warheads, and penetration capability. The NGP is being designed for compatibility with the B-21’s internal bay and may include powered standoff capability, enhanced autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, and advanced void-sensing fuzes. These specifications aim to improve terminal accuracy and adaptability against hardened targets, with system design expected to reach TRL 5 to 6 by the end of the prototype phase. The Air Force’s procurement plan calls for delivery of up to five full-scale prototypes and ten subscale test articles within two years of contract award. NGP is being developed within the broader Long Range Strike architecture, which includes the B-21, AGM-181A Long-Range Stand-Off missile, and future conventional weapons.
Australia has also revisited the possibility of acquiring the B-21 Raider as an interim measure in response to delays in the AUKUS submarine program. In August 2024, the Institute of Public Affairs and Strategic Analysis Australia published a joint paper recommending the acquisition of the B-21 or rotational basing of U.S. B-21s in Australia. The paper argued that the B-21 would provide faster delivery of long-range strike capabilities than nuclear-powered submarines, which are not expected to be operational until the 2040s and may cost over $260 billion. The report noted that Australia has historical experience operating long-range bombers and suggested that the B-21’s payload, range, and infrastructure demands are compatible with Australian basing and support capacity. Although the Australian government’s 2023 Defence Strategic Review concluded that the B-21 was not a suitable procurement option, recent policy debates suggest that its utility may be reconsidered. U.S. officials, including Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, have stated that there are no fundamental restrictions on defense cooperation in this domain. However, as of mid-2025, no formal acquisition request or development agreement has been announced. The B-21 remains under evaluation as part of Australia’s broader effort to diversify and accelerate its strategic strike capabilities.
{loadposition bannertop}
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As reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine on July 14, 2025, the U.S. Air Force has confirmed that at least two B-21 Raider stealth strategic bombers will be flying in fiscal year 2026. These aircraft, although configured for testing, are structurally aligned with production standards and can be converted for combat use by removing non-operational instrumentation such as the nose boom.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Northrop Grumman produces the B-21 Raider at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, using facilities originally built for the B-2 program in the 1990s. (Picture source: Edwards Air Force Base)
The US Air Force has reiterated that the B-21 program has been designed from the outset to produce test aircraft that are as close to operational configuration as possible, preserving their usability if required in a contingency. This concept was in place when the Long-Range Strike Bomber contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in 2015, with the service stating early B-21s would be “usable assets.” The classification of whether these test-configured aircraft represent the platform’s initial operational capability remains unresolved, as that determination is the responsibility of Air Force Global Strike Command, which did not disclose specific criteria. Additionally, the Air Force has acknowledged inaccuracies in the 2026 B-21 budget tables but has not indicated when corrections will be issued.
The Department of the Air Force’s FY 2026 budget allocates $10.3 billion to the B-21 Raider program across procurement, research and development, modernization, and military construction categories. Procurement totals $5.41 billion, including $3.31 billion in discretionary and $2.09 billion in mandatory funds, with $862 million allocated for advance procurement activities tied to long-lead components and production support. Development funding amounts to $3.98 billion, including $1.59 billion in discretionary and $2.39 billion in reconciliation funding, sustaining test aircraft construction, infrastructure expansion, and integration efforts. A separate modernization line under Project 644044 receives $757 million in discretionary funds, an increase of $369 million over FY 2025. These funds support risk reduction, nuclear certification, sensor integration, and structural updates for future configurations. The B-21 program operates under Special Access Program oversight, and the US Air Force has confirmed that the long-term acquisition objective remains “at least 100” aircraft, intended to replace the B-1 and B-2 fleets by the early 2030s. Ellsworth Air Force Base is designated as both the initial training site and first operational location, with associated military construction underway since 2022.
Northrop Grumman produces the B-21 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, using facilities originally built for the B-2 program. According to the Air Force, the planned production increase can be accommodated within this site and across several Tier 1 supplier locations. These include BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire; Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; GKN Aerospace in St. Louis, Missouri; Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley, Washington; and Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas. Pratt & Whitney, a division of RTX, manufactures the B-21’s engines. Northrop Grumman took a $477 million charge in early 2025 to implement a manufacturing process change supporting a higher production rate. This cost increase reflects a broader $2 billion cumulative loss incurred under the program’s fixed-price structure. Air Force responses have indicated that expanding the program’s output does not require construction of new factories, but instead will focus on investments in tooling, workforce, and existing infrastructure. The classified production rate is believed to be between 7 and 8 aircraft per year. The budget does not specify how soon output may increase or to what annual quantity. Despite industry readiness to scale manufacturing, the Air Force has not provided a detailed timeline or targets for production beyond current levels.
Flight and ground testing of the B-21 is ongoing at Edwards Air Force Base under the 412th Test Wing and the Air Force Test Center. As of early 2025, three aircraft are involved in the test campaign, with one conducting regular flight operations and two supporting ground-based evaluations of structural performance and systems integration. Additional airframes are scheduled to join testing activities in the near term. The Air Force confirmed that the test aircraft are production-representative units, not prototypes, and will be transitioned to operational roles after evaluation is complete. The program reached Milestone C in 2023, authorizing entry into low-rate initial production. Northrop Grumman reported progress in capability development and sustainment preparations, including the establishment of training systems and modernization planning. Flight testing began with the first aircraft on 10 November 2023, and subsequent tests have continued on schedule. The company has not disclosed the number of test flights completed, but it confirmed efforts to validate aircraft performance and gather operational data. These activities are consistent with the transition from the engineering, manufacturing, and development phase into early operational capability preparation.
Strategic documentation highlights the B-21 Raider’s role as a dual-capable platform designed to deliver conventional and nuclear munitions, supporting both long-range strike and deterrence missions. Its open systems architecture is intended to facilitate incremental upgrades and system integration. In June 2025, the Trump administration proposed a $5.4 billion procurement line for FY 2026, advancing B-21 funding levels by at least two years compared to the previous administration’s projections. As noted by AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD), this figure represents a 38 percent increase from the prior planned amount and brings B-21 funding levels in line with or exceeding recent annual purchases of the F-35A. Independent commentary suggests that while the Air Force remains committed to acquiring at least 100 aircraft, some internal assessments recommend a fleet of 145 to 200 Raiders to replace both the B-1 and B-2. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin stated in June 2025 that the service should avoid accelerating production excessively and that future investments might prioritize next-generation systems after completion of the 100-aircraft target. Tom Jones, Northrop’s aeronautics sector vice president, emphasized that future scale-up depends on tooling, floor space, and supply chain readiness, but noted that current contract terms do not allow for surge production costs to be factored into pricing. Allowing such costs could change how industry approaches expansion.
The Raider will also serve as the primary delivery platform for the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP). The Air Force initiated this program to replace the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator following the munition’s first combat use during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. During that operation, B-2 bombers dropped 14 GBU-57s on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz. Initial battle damage assessments suggested that some infrastructure may have survived, prompting renewed emphasis on improved guidance, warheads, and penetration capability. The NGP is being designed for compatibility with the B-21’s internal bay and may include powered standoff capability, enhanced autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, and advanced void-sensing fuzes. These specifications aim to improve terminal accuracy and adaptability against hardened targets, with system design expected to reach TRL 5 to 6 by the end of the prototype phase. The Air Force’s procurement plan calls for delivery of up to five full-scale prototypes and ten subscale test articles within two years of contract award. NGP is being developed within the broader Long Range Strike architecture, which includes the B-21, AGM-181A Long-Range Stand-Off missile, and future conventional weapons.
Australia has also revisited the possibility of acquiring the B-21 Raider as an interim measure in response to delays in the AUKUS submarine program. In August 2024, the Institute of Public Affairs and Strategic Analysis Australia published a joint paper recommending the acquisition of the B-21 or rotational basing of U.S. B-21s in Australia. The paper argued that the B-21 would provide faster delivery of long-range strike capabilities than nuclear-powered submarines, which are not expected to be operational until the 2040s and may cost over $260 billion. The report noted that Australia has historical experience operating long-range bombers and suggested that the B-21’s payload, range, and infrastructure demands are compatible with Australian basing and support capacity. Although the Australian government’s 2023 Defence Strategic Review concluded that the B-21 was not a suitable procurement option, recent policy debates suggest that its utility may be reconsidered. U.S. officials, including Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, have stated that there are no fundamental restrictions on defense cooperation in this domain. However, as of mid-2025, no formal acquisition request or development agreement has been announced. The B-21 remains under evaluation as part of Australia’s broader effort to diversify and accelerate its strategic strike capabilities.
