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US Air Force courtesy photo
- The US Air Force released a video showing the B-21 Raider stealth bomber taking off and landing.
- The force’s newest bomber took its first flight last fall and is in production.
- The B-21 is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads at “unmatched” ranges, per the Pentagon.
The US Air Force released the first footage of its new stealth bomber taking off and landing during flight testing.
The testing marks a monumental moment for the B-21 Raider, which is shaping up to replace the branch’s older bombers and become “the backbone” of its “flexible global strike capability,” the Air Force said.
The video was released Wednesday alongside the B-21 Update panel at the 2024 Air, Space and Cyber Conference by the Air and Space Forces Association.
In the footage, the sleek B-21 takes off from the tarmac in California and soars up. The video then cuts to the bomber landing.
At the panel, officials from the Air Force and Northrop Grumman, the company developing the aircraft, provided updates on the B-21 program.
“We’re really starting to strike up quite a cadence [and] generate two flight test flights in a given week,” Thomas Jones, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector president, 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.”
412th Test Wing courtesy photo
Development on the B-21 dates back to 2015, and the aircraft was first unveiled to the public in December 2022. Then, in November 2023, the Raider took its first flight. Production on the aircraft was confirmed to be underway in January of this year. It’s the US military’s first strategic bomber in nearly three decades.
Per the Pentagon, the B-21 boasts advanced stealth capabilities and can be equipped to deliver stand-off and direct-attack munitions, including both conventional and nuclear payloads. Its range, the US Department of Defense has said, is “unmatched.”
Part of the appeal of the B-21 is its ability to integrate with other US Air Force operations, as well as missions conducted by US partners and allies.
Bomber Task Force operations, such as those involving the stealth B-2 Spirits, supersonic B-1 Lancers, and B-52 Stratofortresses, are a priority for the US Air Force, allowing the force to demonstrate how it incorporates bomber aircraft into missions with US allies and partners.
