Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider
| B-21 Raider | |
|---|---|
| B-21 (AF 0001) in flight in 2024 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Stealth strategic bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
| Status | Low rate initial production |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 3 |
| History | |
| First flight | 10 November 2023 |
| Initiated | 2011 |
| Predecessors | Northrop B-2 Spirit |
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is an American strategic bomber in development for the United States Air Force (USAF) by Northrop Grumman. Part of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, it is to be a stealth intercontinental strategic bomber that can deliver conventional and thermonuclear weapons. Named "Raider" in honor of the Doolittle Raiders of World War II, the B-21 is meant to replace the Rockwell B-1 Lancer and Northrop B-2 Spirit by 2040, and possibly the 1950s Boeing B-52 Stratofortress after that.
The Air Force began planning for the B-21 in 2011 and awarded the major development contract in 2015, aiming to have it in service "in the mid-2020s". By 2021, that date had slipped to 2027.
As of 2025, many aspects of the B-21 special access program were still highly classified, though some information about various other aspects of the program have been made public since 2015. The first B-21 aircraft was unveiled at a 2 December 2022 ceremony at Northrop Grumman's production facilities in Palmdale, California. The first flight of a B-21 took place on 10 November 2023. By September 2024, three airworthy B-21s were involved in program testing.