Second B-21 Raider joins flight-test efforts at Edwards AFB

The US Air Force (USAF) announced the arrival on 11 September 2025 of the second Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider flight test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. The aircraft flew to Edwards AFB on what was its maiden flight, having taken off from the USAF’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, California: a classified aircraft manufacturing facility.

The addition of the second aircraft expands the USAF’s testing capabilities beyond initial flight performance checks, enabling progression into critical mission systems and weapon integration testing phases. This advancement marks a significant step toward operational readiness of the sixth-generation stealth bomber.

The presence of multiple test aircraft at Edwards AFB also provides USAF maintainers with invaluable hands-on experience in managing simultaneous aircraft sustainment operations, testing the effectiveness of maintenance tools, technical data and the logistical processes that will support future operational squadrons.

The first B-21, which made its maiden flight on 10 November 2023 and arrived at Edwards AFB that month.

Concurrent with the expanded B-21 flight-testing effort, fiscal year 2026 will see the launch of extensive military construction projects at all three designated B-21 main operating bases: Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, Whiteman AFB in Missouri, and Dyess AFB in Texas. Ellsworth AFB, the first base set to receive operational B-21 aircraft, is already progressing rapidly on numerous infrastructure projects to ensure readiness when the aircraft arrive.

“The B-21 Raider programme represents a cornerstone of our strategic nuclear modernisation,” USAF Chief of Staff General David Allvin was quoted as saying in an air force press release. “The concurrent efforts in testing, sustainment preparation and infrastructure investments clearly illustrate our commitment to providing unmatched capabilities to deter and defeat threats well into the future.”

The initial B-21s are not prototypes but are test aircraft that will ultimately be converted into an operational configuration.

A stealthy, strategic bomber designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear payloads, the B-21 Raider was developed by Northrop Grumman under the oversight of the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (DAF RCO).

On 23 January 2024 Northrop Grumman received a low-rate initial production contract for the B-21. The USAF currently plans to acquire at least 100 Raiders.