Northrop Grumman, USAF unveil the B-21 Raider

Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force have unveiled the B-21 Raider, which the company says is the world first sixth-generation aircraft. The unveiling happened in Palmdale, California, scene of the B-2 roll-out more than three decades ago. The company and the USAF have not said when the planned first flight will take place.

The B-21 is the first new bomber to be introduced since the end of the Cold War and isn’t expected to be operational for several more years. It is designed to be a more capable and adaptable aircraft that will gradually replace the ageing B-1 and B-2 bombers now in service. It will afford Combatant Commanders the ability to hold any target, anywhere in the world at risk.

The aircraft is designed with updated stealth qualities and mission flexibility that senior leaders in the USAF and across the US Department of Defense say are necessary to achieve the US goal of achieving integrated deterrence, and if necessary, capabilities required to successfully respond to aggression anywhere in the world at any time.

The specific B-21 unveiled Dec. 2 is one of six under production. Although each is considered a test aircraft, all are being built on the same production line, using the same tools, processes, and technicians who will build production aircraft. This approach has enabled production engineers and technicians to capture lessons learned and apply them directly to follow-on aircraft, driving home a focus on repeatability, producibility and quality.

The B-21 forms the future backbone for US air power, leading a family of systems designed to deliver a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors and weapons. Its sixth-generation capabilities include stealth, information advantage and open architecture.

“The B-21 Raider is a testament to America’s enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. “And it’s proof of the Department’s long-term commitment to building advanced capabilities that will fortify America’s ability to deter aggression, today and into the future.

“This bomber was built on a foundation of strong, bipartisan support in Congress. And because of that support, we will soon fly this aircraft, test it and then move into production.”

The RAAF has been touted persistently as a potential customer for the B-21 but it remains unclear whether or not the aircraft will be exportable, still less affordable. USAF officials project an ultimate fleet of at least 100 aircraft at an average price of about US$692 million in 2022 dollars. Australia also plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and may not be able to afford both.

The B-21 is described by its manufacturer a true digital native and in September signed a data rights agreement with the USAF to open B-21 data access and collaboration across the program, including creating a shared environment for the B-21’s digital twin. Supported by a digital ecosystem throughout its lifecycle, the B-21 can quickly evolve through rapid technology upgrades that provide new capabilities to outpace future threats.

Described as a sixth-generation aircraft, the B-21 Raider benefits from more than three decades of strike and stealth technology development since the B-2 first flew. Developed with the next generation of stealth technology, advanced networking capabilities and an open systems architecture, the B-21 is optimized for the high-end threat environment. Northrop Grumman is continuously advancing technology, employing new manufacturing techniques and materials to ensure the B-21 will defeat the anti-access, area-denial systems it will face.

Since being awarded the B-21 prime contract in 2015, Northrop Grumman has assembled a team of more than 400 suppliers across 40 states. The team includes more than 8,000 people from Northrop Grumman, industry partners and the Air Force.

Long-term operations and sustainment affordability has been a B-21 program priority from the start, the company says. In partnership with the USAF, Northrop Grumman has made maintainability as important as stealth performance to ensure more affordable, predictable operations and sustainment outcomes.

The B-21 Raider It has also been designed as the lead component of a larger family of systems that will deliver intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack and multi-domain networking capabilities.