The B-21 Combined Test Force spent thousands of hours using a digital replica of the bomber to prepare for the flight, predict the weapon’s trajectory and speed up its integration. The Air Force said the release validated those models and demonstrated the maturity of the bomber’s open systems architecture, which is designed to accommodate new weapons over time.
“The B-21 is designed to deliver improved combat capability to the warfighter, combining reliability and maintainability to quickly integrate new weapons,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said. “This successful test demonstrates our ability to adapt rapidly and hold any target at risk if deterrence fails.”
The bomber is designed to carry different weapons loads on long-range missions in heavily defended airspace and share data with other forces. “We are building an impressive fleet that will give our joint force credible, penetrating strike options for decades to come,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said.
The Air Force says the program remains on track to have aircraft at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027. Northrop Grumman said the first detachment squadron is already operating there and that the company is preparing to support the bombers over the long term.
Northrop has opened a facility in Layton, Utah, that adds 265,000 square feet of manufacturing space for the B-21. It has also broken ground on an expanded, 1 million-square-foot final assembly facility at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, as it works to meet the Air Force’s directive to accelerate production.
Northrop said adding aerial refueling to flight tests in 2026 allowed the team to fly longer sorties and that it completed fatigue tests equivalent to multiple aircraft lifetimes months ahead of schedule. The company said ground and flight tests had shown progress in reliability, weapons loading and data collection, and compared the bomber’s maintenance turnaround times and cost per flying hour to those of a modern fighter.
“B-21 is another step closer to giving the U.S. unrivaled deterrence,” said Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems. “As we’ve heard from our Air Force partners, the B-21 Combined Test Force is the envy of the entire test community for its sustained rapid test pace and progress.”
