NOC•The US Air Force conducted a weapons release test on a B-21 Raider last week, moving the bomber from flight testing to a functional weapons platform. The first operational aircraft is expected to arrive in 2027, and the program is ahead of schedule, the Air Force said.
A B-21 Raider flew from Edwards Air Force Base in California and released a conventional weapon during the test, the Department of the Air Force said. The test demonstrated that the aircraft’s digital models and open systems architecture worked as expected.
Northrop Grumman received the B-21 development contract in 2015. The Air Force said the program is ahead of schedule, with the first operational aircraft expected to arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027.
