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.
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