MILTECH - The B-21 Raider, the Air Force's next stealth bomber, will be unveiled to the public for the first time in early December, Air Force Acquisitions Chief Andrew Hunter said Tuesday.
Hunter, during a panel discussion with reporters at the Air Force Association's Air Space Cyber Conference, revealed that the deployment of the B-21 will take place during the first week of December. Other details are still being finalized, he said.
It will be the first time the Air Force has unveiled a new missile since the B-2 Spirit debuted in November 1988 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The first flight of the B-2 took place in July 1989.
The new missile developed by Northrop Grumman has only been seen in concept art. Its first flight is expected to take place in 2023, a few months after its delivery. Northrop said in a statement after Hunter said that the date of the first flight will be determined based on the results of the ground test.
There are currently six B-21 test aircraft being assembled at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale facility, the company said in a statement.
Northrop said in May that the first B-21 had completed the first phase of ground tests at Plant 42. This included a structural test of the load, which was intended to determine the structural integrity of the bomb by placing it on a barrier, between other tests.
The B-21's next phase of ground testing will include firing missiles and testing its systems, as well as applying coatings and paint, Northrop said in its May statement.
Before the first flight of the B-21 from Plant 42 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Northrop Grumman will perform engine runs in low and high altitude taxi tests. Flight testing of the missile will take place at Edwards.
The Air Force had hoped in late 2019 that the first flight of the B-21 would take place in December 2021, but the process has been slow. Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota will be the B-21's first base of operations, followed by Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.
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