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What You Need to Know About the B-21 Raider
Benefitting from more than three decades of strike and stealth technology innovation, the B-21 is the next evolution of the Air Force strategic bomber fleet and the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft to reach the skies.
When it comes to delivering America’s resolve, the Raider will provide the Air Force with long range, high survivability and mission payload flexibility. The B-21 will penetrate the toughest defenses for precision strikes anywhere in the world. Here are 10 key facts about Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider as production accelerates.
The B-21 Raider incorporates next-generation stealth technologies informed by decades of operational experience. Its advanced low-observable design allows it to penetrate the most sophisticated air defenses and operate undetected in contested environments.
Modernized, low-observable processes will also make the B-21 easier and less costly to maintain than prior systems, ensuring the fleet’s operational readiness for our nation’s most critical missions.
The B-21 Raider is designed to hold any target at risk, anywhere in the world. With the ability to deliver both conventional and nuclear payloads, it provides decision-makers with flexible, survivable response options across the full spectrum of conflict. The B-21’s open architecture will deliver seamless upgrades, enabling the Raider fleet to evolve its mission and weapons capabilities to outpace any threat.
The development of the B-21 Raider is a testament to the results-focused collaboration between Northrop Grumman and the Air Force. Northrop Grumman's partnership is built on transparency and a commitment to shared success, exemplified by an industry-first agreement that provides access to valuable data, including the B-21 digital twin, enhancing affordability and agility in upgrades.
As a proven partner, Northrop Grumman delivers effective, data-driven solutions that meet the demands of critical missions. Together, the company and the Air Force are demonstrating the B-21’s capabilities against adversaries.
Committed to leading the way, Northrop Grumman consistently invests in the technologies and tools that empower the best fighting force in the world. To date, the company has invested more than $5 billion in the B-21 program’s digital and manufacturing infrastructure.
These investments power our digital ecosystem, equipping the B-21 Raider with highly advanced software, manufacturing and engineering tools. As a result, software certification time has already been reduced by 50%, ensuring the B-21 stays at the speed of relevance for future technology insertion. The ecosystem also enables real-time validation of aircraft performance during tests.
Multiple B-21 Raider aircraft are currently in flight test, demonstrating outstanding performance that exceeds expectations. The Combined Test Force, composed of Northrop Grumman and Air Force personnel, is a shining example of how government and industry can partner to deliver capability to the warfighter with speed and efficiency. Simultaneously, Northrop Grumman engineers are conducting ground tests to ensure the B-21 can operate in the most extreme mission conditions. These test results consistently surpass digital modeling predictions, reinforcing confidence in the B-21’s design and capabilities.
Northrop Grumman’s advanced manufacturing processes, including digital and augmented reality tools, enable technicians to visualize tasks and solve problems before ever touching the plane. This approach connects technicians to design engineers as never before, improving efficiency and cultivating expertise throughout the manufacturing workforce.
Northrop Grumman has invested in manufacturing technology and capacity at our facilities across the U.S. to accelerate and scale production of the B-21 Raider. We are increasing production rates on capability that will project American power anywhere in the world.
The B-21 will be instrumental in maintaining U.S. and allied security in an increasingly complex global landscape. As a key component of a powerful family of systems, the B-21 Raider will deliver a new era of capability and flexibility by seamlessly integrating data, sensors and weapons, enabling precision strikes and comprehensive situational awareness.
Northrop Grumman is developing comprehensive training, sustainment and fleet management tools for the Air Force as they prepare to operate and maintain the B-21 Raider. Leveraging extensive flight test data and decades of sustainment experience across a variety of systems, these tools ensure the B-21 enters service ready, affordable and sustainable at scale.
An all-American team of more than 8,000 industry and Air Force personnel are designing, building, testing and delivering on the promise of B-21. The team consists of more than 400 suppliers across 40 states. This is a nationwide effort to provide deterrence capability that strengthens and defends our nation.
The B-21 Raider is named in honor of the Doolittle Raid of World War II when 80 airmen, led by Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle, and 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers set off on a mission that changed the course of World War II. The raid was a catalyst for a multitude of future progress in U.S. air superiority and serves as the inspiration behind the Raider name and the pioneering, innovative spirit instilled across the workforce bringing the B-21 to life.
Read more about the B-21 Raider, or explore what life’s like working at Northrop Grumman.
