After its maiden flight on November 10, 2023, the secretive stealth bomber B-21 Raider is undergoing flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base in California. During these tests, the aircraft was accidentally caught on camera.
“Flight tests are a crucial step in the campaign led by the Air Force Test Center and the B-21 Combined Test Force of the 412th Test Wing to ensure the bomber’s survivability, range, and penetrating strike capability for deterring aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, its allies, and partners,” stated the U.S. Air Force.
Northrop Grumman, the company responsible for developing the bomber, reported that three B-21 Raider units are currently undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base. One is involved in flight tests, while the other two are conducting ground tests. This information was shared during the 2024 ASC conference, which was attended by Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems President Thomas Jones, Major General Jason Armagost, Director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office William Bailey, and others.
Thomas Jones emphasized that the B-21 is currently capable of performing up to two test flights per week, with plans to increase the frequency to daily flights soon. He also expressed satisfaction with the progress, noting the expansion of the aircraft’s flight capabilities. One of these test flights was recently captured on camera. In early October, aviation photographer Nelson Tower caught the bomber in action.
“We were hanging out at Sidewinder [a low-level route] when we heard a couple of Lemoore F-18 pilots talking about a contrail in the sky, which they later identified as the B-21 Raider,” said the photographer. “After hearing their conversation, we both started looking for the trails in the sky, and eventually spotted it about 20 miles away. We took a few photos and confirmed that it was indeed the B-21 Raider, accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet.”
Nelson posted the photo of the B-21 Raider and its chase plane along with a recording of the radio chatter on his Instagram account, which can be found through this link.
The photo doesn’t reveal any new details about the bomber, as the Raider’s shape was already made public in images from its first flight. However, it’s still fascinating to see it in action during a test flight. Interestingly, the B-21 is likely equipped with the same sensor as the B-2, which alerts pilots when they need to change altitude.
Shortly after the B-21 Raider entered flight testing, Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract for the initial production of the strategic bomber. While specific details of the contract remain undisclosed, during the ramp-up of production in 2022, the U.S. Air Force indicated that the expected average procurement cost for each B-21 unit would be around $692 million.
Although the exact number of bombers in the initial contract was not disclosed, later reports suggested that the contract could include up to 21 aircraft. Northrop Grumman revealed that by the time of the first flight, six B-21 bombers were in various stages of production, including the one that had already taken to the skies.
In May, both the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman released the first official photos of the B-21 in flight. Around the same time, Andrew Hunter, responsible for procurement for the U.S. Air Force, stated that the testing program was progressing well, expressing optimism about hitting key milestones that year. Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin indicated that the Air Force plans to acquire up to 100 B-21 Raiders, though future technological advancements could potentially limit production.
At the ASC 2024 conference, it was also revealed that the B-21 successfully completed static structural integrity tests and has now moved on to fatigue testing. During the discussion, it was confirmed that 21 bombers have been contracted under the Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) program, with deliveries expected in the mid-2020s.
Source: theaviationist
