The US Air Drive on Wednesday revealed extra images of its latest stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, because the penetrating strike plane continues to work by means of flight testing.
The images, captured in January and April, present the sleek-looking new bomber in the midst of its testing — consisting of floor testing, taxiing, and flight operations — at California’s Edwards Air Drive Base. The brand new photos come because the long-range plane inches nearer to coming into service later this decade.
Assistant Secretary of the Air Drive for Acquisition, Expertise, and Logistics Andrew Hunter stated earlier this month that the B-21’s flight take a look at program is “continuing nicely” and is on schedule to fulfill timelines and supply schedules.
“It’s doing what flight take a look at applications are designed to do, which helps us be taught concerning the distinctive traits of this platform, however in a really, very efficient method,” Hunter stated throughout testimony to the Senate Armed Providers Committee on Might 8.
412th Take a look at Wing courtesy photograph
The B-21 is the US navy’s first strategic bomber in additional than 30 years. Improvement started in 2015, and the Pentagon unveiled the Raider to the general public in December 2022. Almost a yr later, in November 2023, the plane lastly launched into its much-anticipated first flight. Following the success of floor and flight exams, it was cleared to enter low-rate preliminary manufacturing.
The US Air Drive Speedy Capabilities Workplace manages the acquisition program with a technique of constructing take a look at bombers “as production-representative as potential,” the 412th Take a look at Wing stated in a Wednesday assertion.
“Somewhat than a conventional flight prototype method, B-21 take a look at plane are constructed together with mission techniques utilizing the identical manufacturing processes and tooling for manufacturing plane,” the Wing stated, including that “this method in improvement laid the groundwork for manufacturing to begin extra rapidly.”
The B-21 is anticipated to enter service within the latter half of the last decade. The navy has a objective of manufacturing at the least 100 of those plane. The Raider, US officers say, is slated to incrementally change the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers.
412th Take a look at Wing courtesy photograph
Pentagon management has careworn that the B-21 will type the “spine” of America’s future bomber fleet. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin has praised the plane’s stealth capabilities, saying that many years of advances in low-observable expertise have gone into the bomber’s improvement.
“Even essentially the most subtle air-defense techniques will wrestle to detect a B-21 within the sky,” Austin stated on the plane’s unveiling.
Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the bomber, has touted the aircraft because the “world’s first sixth-generation plane.” It may be armed with standoff and direct-attack munitions and can have the ability to conduct each standard and nuclear strikes.
