[ad_1]
PALMDALE, Calif. — Northrop Grumman finally pulled the cover off the first B-21 Raider aircraft, showing off the Air Force’s newest stealth bomber to the world during a once-in-a-generation roll out ceremony today.
After brief opening remarks by Northrop CEO Kathy Warden, who said the plane “will be the backbone of US air power” and represented a “new era in technology for national defense,” the white veil was literally withdrawn to swelling orchestral music.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaking in front of the plane and somewhat dwarfed by it, touted its capabilities.
“The B-21 looks imposing, but what’s under the frame and the space-age coatings is even more impressive,” he said, highlighting the bomber’s range, stealth and durability. “Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect the B-21 in the sky.”
“The Raider is designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear munitions with formidable precision,” he said.
Echoing Warden’s remarks to Breaking Defense before the ceremony, Austin highlighted the technological adaptability of the bomber, designed to be easily upgraded. “So as the United States continues to innovate, this bomber will be able to defend our country with weapons that haven’t even been invented yet,” he said.
The B-21 seen today is the first test article to roll off the production line, with five other bombers in some stage of production at Northrop’s facilities at the Air Force’s secretive Plant 42. After wrapping up ground testing, which will include powering its systems on and off and conducting taxi tests, the B-21 is scheduled to make its first flight in 2023 before being transferred to Edwards Air Force Base some 20 miles northeast.
About 600 people attended the historic event, including Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and a lineup of House and Senate lawmakers.
RELATED: Ahead of B-21 Raider reveal, Northrop CEO touts tech you won’t see
For more than seven years, Northrop could only hint at the aircraft’s design in digital renderings and promotional images in which the B-21 was shown draped in a drop cloth to conceal its features — a depiction made famous in a commercial aired during the 2015 Super Bowl just months before Northrop beat out a Boeing-Lockheed Martin team to win the Long Range Strike Bomber contract.
Over the lifespan of the program, the Air Force plans on buying at least 100 B-21s at an average procurement unit cost of $692 million per plane in 2022 dollars. That sum includes a B-21 as well as training, spares and support equipment.
RELATED: As classified B-21 bomber nears flight, secret facility sees more curious ‘probing’
The service begins funding low-rate initial production of the new bomber in fiscal 2023, spending $1.7 billion in procurement funding on top of $3.3 billion to carry on research and development activities. Air Force officials have declined to comment on how many B-21s that sum will buy.
As for the B-21 on display today, Warden said, “The next time you see this plane, it’ll be in the air.”
Breaking Defense’s Lee Ferran contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link