B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Program Achieving Performance Incentives – Good News for the US Air Force: The next-generation B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber is on track in its development timeline. New procurement and acquisition details of the Air Force’s secretive B-21 Raider program have recently been released. The Air Force is considering buying at least 100 and maybe up to 145 of the stealth bombers from Northrop Grumman. It appears the B-21 program is hitting milestones despite inflation issues in the broader economy.
Positive Developments for the B-21 Raider
Northrop Grumman has achieved some incentive targets and the program is “speeding up.” The defense contractor has received a $67 million payout for meeting unspecified performance measures.
The Chief Executive Officer of Northrop Grumman, Kathy Warden, believes that this is good news for the B-21 program. The company, according to Warden, thinks the production phase is on track for the middle part of the decade in 2025 or 2026.
Airplane Progressing Toward Serial Production
The production will be accelerated as it is “layered” on top of development, Warden said during an earnings call documented in Air Force Magazine on April 28.
B-21 Is in the Testing Phase of Engineering and Manufacturing Development
This layering is a preferrable state of affairs according to David Keffer, Northop Grumman’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. “The low-rate initial production [LRIP] phase will begin in 2023,” Keffer said, “and run in parallel with the EMD [engineering and manufacturing development] for a period of time. The program is now in a critical integration and test portion of the EMD phase,” according to Keffer.
In an Air Force budget proposal, the service branch is slated to spend $20 billion for the B-21 program over the next five years. Production unit costs will be $550 million in 2010 dollars.
Could We See an Airplane Later This Year?
The first B-21 may be unveiled late this year with the first flight coming in 2023. The Air Force has not introduced a new bomber in over 30-years. The B-21 is nuclear-capable and will have conventional precision-guided munitions that likely will include hypersonic missiles.
The design of the stealth bomber is under wraps, but the Air Force did release an artist rendering of a stylish flying wing shape. The B-21 is expected to thrive in contested air space and carry out offensive operations anywhere around the globe.
Why Does the Air Force Need the B-21 Raider?
Northrop says “Currently only 10-percent of our nation’s bomber force is capable of penetrating advanced adversary air defenses. As our adversaries have continued investing heavily in sophisticated technologies and weapons platforms that leave them free to act maliciously or extend their reach, a new bomber is critical to deterring potential adversaries, reassuring allies and keeping our nation safe,” according to its corporate web site.
Get Those Parts ASAP
The defense firm announced on April 8 that it had been awarded a $108 million contract for components necessary for the assembly of the next-generation bomber. This is to mitigate the risk of long lead times for assembly, so it is a better practice to order parts in advance before manufacturing. This is another reason why the B-21 may remain on schedule and achieve its production milestones.
Engineers Are Moving Forward
There are at least six bombers in assembly at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Workers will be conducting ground testing, applying stealth coatings, and evaluating the structures.
The B-21 Raider appears to be on track and the Air Force and Northrop Grumman are being as transparent as possible on its procurement without giving up secrets that could tip off American adversaries. 1945 will be watching the B-21 program closely as it nears the first flight to see if it remains on target.
Now serving as 1945’s Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood.
