The B-21 stealth bomber first flew in November 2023, with its pre-production test aircraft reportedly flying up to twice a week, according to builder Northrop Grumman. Northrop received approval last year to begin production and is now in discussions with the Air Force to accelerate the process following an additional $4.5 billion allocated in the reconciliation bill.
Gebara said the extra funding from Congress would go a “long way” in enabling the service to build the aircraft at scale. “We’ve done the initial R&D work, we’ve started the flight test…all these things are great indicators of success and a program that’s on time, on budget and producing, but eventually you have to get to the point where we scale this thing and so that’s very important,” he added.
The Air Force intends to acquire 100 B-21s by the mid- to late 2030s, though senior leaders have suggested as many as 145 may ultimately be needed. Gebara noted that the original programme of record “may be insufficient for the future,” while cautioning it would be a “long time” before a final decision is made.
He also provided an update on the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, another Northrop project aimed at replacing the ageing Minuteman III. The Sentinel programme, now estimated to cost $141 billion—81 per cent above initial projections—has been restructured after a Nunn-McCurdy breach, though some halted work has resumed under a new agreement with Northrop.
Earlier plans to modify existing Minuteman silos have been abandoned, with the Air Force instead set to dig hundreds of new launch sites. Gebara argued the change was practical and efficient: “I believe building all-new silos is actually not an extender of time and cost. It’s actually saving time and cost.”
Most of the new silos will be constructed on land already owned by the United States, though additional land purchases will be required in some cases. Gebara maintained that avoiding modifications to active silos would reduce operational and logistical complications in the long run.
When asked about reports of US nuclear weapons returning to the United Kingdom after nearly 20 years, Gebara declined to comment. However, he stated that the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb is “fully deployed throughout the continent,” closely echoing remarks from other senior nuclear officials earlier this year.
In July, flight trackers observed a C-17 airlifter moving what appeared to be nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath, where the F-35A—certified last year to carry the B61-12—is based. Pentagon and NATO officials have long maintained a policy of not confirming nuclear weapons’ locations.
“We now have F-35, 5th-gen sensor-fused aircraft, many of our allies purchasing the same aircraft, common training, common TTPs [tactics, techniques, and procedures], with our modernised B61-12 weapon that has been fully deployed throughout the continent,” Gebara said. His comments closely echoed a January speech by Jill Hruby, then head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, who stated: “The new B61-12 gravity bombs are fully forward deployed, and we have increased NATO’s visibility to our nuclear capabilities through visits to our enterprise and other regular engagements.”
Hruby stepped down as NNSA administrator at the start of the Trump administration, with Brandon Williams, a former Republican congressman, nominated as her successor but still awaiting Senate confirmation. The agency’s website currently lists an acting director in place.
Source: Defense One.
