Second B-21 Raider Joins Test Campaign

Air Force and Northrop Grumman expand sixth-gen bomber evaluations with second B-21.

Matt Ryan

Friday, September 12, 2025 at 04:20 PM ET

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Matt Ryan

[Credit: Kyle Brasier, U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

A second B-21 Raider test aircraft has arrived at Edwards Air Force Base, significantly enhancing the Air Force's ability to conduct mission systems and weapons testing.
The addition of a second test aircraft provides substantial momentum to the flight test campaign, with real-world testing consistently outperforming prior digital modeling predictions.
Having multiple B-21s available allows for expanded systems integration, software demonstrations, and hands-on training for maintainers, all part of a broader effort to prepare for the sixth-generation bomber's operational use as a central element of nuclear modernization.

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The Department of the Air Force confirmed the arrival of a second B-21 Raider test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Sept. 11, following its flight from Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale. According to an Air Force Public Affairs release, the addition significantly enhances the service’s ability to conduct mission systems and weapons testing.

“With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in the announcement.

Northrop Grumman said the expanded campaign moves beyond flight testing and into advanced systems integration and software demonstrations. The company said real-world testing has so far consistently outperformed prior digital modeling predictions.

Having multiple test aircraft available now will also give maintainers more opportunity for hands-on training in sustainment operations while infrastructure work is underway at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, where the first operational B-21 aircraft are set to be utilized.

According to the Air Force, these projects, combined with simulator development and fleet management tools, are part of a broader effort to prepare squadrons for the sixth-generation bomber. Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear payloads, the B-21 remains a central element of the Air Force’s nuclear modernization strategy.