After years of secrecy, the B-21 Raider emerged from its Palmdale hangar Friday morning and took its first flight, hovering by way of the sky and giving airplane lovers, contractor workers and the general public its first glimpse of the futuristic-looking bomber in air.
The B-21 bomber, which is being constructed by Northrop Grumman Corp., took off from the secretive Air Drive Plant 42 in Palmdale earlier than heading north towards Edwards Air Drive Base, stated Matt Hartman, a photographer who was out in Palmdale in hopes of taking photographs of the airplane after he’d heard rumors {that a} flight is likely to be imminent.
About 80 folks crowded close to the Palmdale Regional Airport to attempt to see the primary flight with their very own eyes. As soon as the bomber flew by, “you may hear a pin drop,” Hartman stated.
The U.S. Air Drive confirmed that the B-21 is in flight testing, and referred to as it a “essential step” within the bomber’s take a look at program. Flight testing contains not simply flying operations but additionally floor and taxiing assessments. Edwards Air Drive Base is accountable for testing and analysis for the B-21.
The flight take a look at program “strikes us one other step nearer to reaching operational functionality,” Northrop Grumman stated in a press release Friday. In December, Northrop Grumman unveiled the B-21 bomber for the primary time, though that reveal solely showcased the entrance of the plane. Technical particulars of the airplane have to this point been extremely categorized.
The Air Drive plans to purchase at the very least 100 B-21 stealth bombers by the mid-2030s for about $80 billion. Already, six B-21 bombers are in manufacturing, the Air Drive stated. The brand new planes will ultimately substitute the getting old B-1 and B-2 bomber fleets.
Though the B-21’s flying-wing form appears to be like much like that of the B-2, it has improved stealth expertise and can be extra supportable and maintainable than its predecessor, which has notoriously excessive upkeep prices.
The bomber is designed to fly each crewed and uncrewed missions, reflecting technological updates that weren’t out there when the B-2 was constructed within the Nineteen Eighties.
The Air Drive plans to get its first few B-21 bombers, that are designed to fly long-range missions whereas evading radar detection, by the mid-2020s. The bomber is a part of the U.S. army’s effort to replace its nuclear triad, which incorporates warheads, submarines and missiles, as international rivals akin to China additionally enhance their weapons expertise.
This system has boosted aerospace employment within the Antelope Valley, lengthy identified for its aerospace manufacturing jobs. In December, greater than 7,000 folks have been employed at Northrop Grumman’s Antelope Valley amenities, which is double the quantity there in 2015 when the corporate received the bomber contract.
The B-21 Raider stealth bomber is unveiled at Northrop Grumman, Dec. 2, 2022, in Palmdale, Calif. The B-21 Raider has taken its first flight, transferring the futuristic warplane nearer to changing into the nation’s subsequent nuclear weapons stealth bomber.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Related Press)
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