Northrop Grumman and US Air Force unveil B-21 stealth bomber
Northrop Grumman and the USAF revealed the world’s first sixth-generation stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider on 2 December in California.
The B-21 joins the nuclear triad as a visible and flexible deterrent designed for the USAF to meet its most complex missions.
The sixth-generation aircraft is expected to help the USAF to ‘penetrate the toughest defences for precision strikes anywhere in the world', Northrop Grumman’s press release said. Six bombers are currently in ‘various stages of final assembly’ in California, according to the release.
The introduction of the B-21 marks the first time a new US bomber has been publicly
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
UK Royal Navy’s upgraded Commando Merlin helicopters achieve full operating capability
A total of 19 Mk3 and six Mk3a Commando Merlin helicopters have now been upgraded to the Mk4/4a standard, with the work overseen by the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Leonardo and the Royal Navy (RN).
-
Switzerland’s Hermes 900 procurement faces further delays and headwinds
The Swiss Federal Audit Office has said the drones won’t meet planned military requirements until 2029, after extensive delays pushed timeline back to the end of 2026.
-
Updated US Air Force doctrine emphasises the need for multi-domain capabilities
Modifications in the US Air Force (USAF) doctrine aim to prepare the service for tomorrow’s warfare.