B-21 Already In Production

The B-21 Raider is already in "low rate production" even though flight testing has just begun. The stealth nuclear strike bomber had its first flight two months ago and the prototype is undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base as operational aircraft are being assembled at Northrop Grumman's plant at nearby Palmdale. "This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team's mature plan for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-21s at a low rate," defense department spokesman William LaPlante said in a statement on Tuesday.

LaPlante said the government was in a rush to get the new plane deployed "to provide a credible deterrent to adversaries. If you don't produce and field to warfighters at scale, the capability doesn't really matter." The Raider is expected to enter service in the next couple of years.