The U.S. Air Force’s newest bomber is officially getting two more homes.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has approved bases for the B-21 Raider at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, the service announced Friday.
The Air Force had previously selected Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota as the initial base for the B-21 Raider.
B-21 Raider bomber conducts test flights at Edwards Air Force Base
The aircraft, the first bomber the Air Force has introduced since the Cold War, is intended to become the “backbone of the Air Force’s flexible global strike capability,” according to the Air Force. The stealth bomber, developed by Northrop Grumman, will be equipped with nuclear capabilities, as well as regular munitions, and can assist in manned and unmanned operations.
The B-21 Raider made its first test flight on November 10, 2023, from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
“We continue to achieve B-21 production milestones; through digital engineering and open architecture design, we are delivering an agile strategic deterrent that can deliver a decisive response when needed,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, in a news release.
The Air Force released the first video of the B-21 in flight on Wednesday.
Air Force personnel and defense industry representatives discussed progress on the B-21 program this week at the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
Thomas Jones, sector president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, said the program conducted two test flights “in a given week” in preparation for the B-21 Raider’s life as a daily pilot.
The Air Force expects to purchase at least 100 B-21s, which will replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers.
