Photographers got some incredible images of the B-21 Raider refueling from a KC-135 during a test over Mojave Desert.
A Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider was spotted performing aerial refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Eastern California on Mar. 10, 2026. The air-to-air refueling mission, which lasted 5 hours and 33 minutes, was documented by several photographers who were able to shot some incredible images of the first Raider prototype behind the special equipped tanker based out of Edwards Air Force Base,.
— T. Ace (@minor_triad) March 10, 2026
Among them, there were also our contributors Jarod Hamilton and Ian Recchio who took the photos of the AAR (Air-to-Air Refueling) activity over the Mojave Desert.
I believe I captured a “first” today. 🙌#b21 #b21raider #stealthbomber pic.twitter.com/ZHj1WnTTQk
— jmh.creates (@JarodMHamilton) March 10, 2026
The images not only show the presence of the usual F-16 chase plane, but also an unidentified business jet that could be a testbed somehow involved in the testing activity.
While the zoom used by the photographers may have distorted them a little, the images still provide a useful size comparison with the tanker, suggesting that the B-21 is probably bigger than we expected.
Interestingly, the tanker; serial number #61-0320, designated as an NKC-135 because it carries special equipment required to support the testing of other aircraft, could be tracked online during the whole mission. Flightradar24 data shows that the refueling altitude for the mission was FL230 (23,000 feet).
As we recently reported, the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman are working to accelerate the production and the delivery of the B-21 Raider, with the first bomber arriving at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, next year. In fact, the Department of the Air Force and Northrop Grumman have announced an agreement to expand the production of the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber and accelerate the delivery.
Previously, Air Force officials said the B-21 was expected to be ready for service around 2026 or 2027. More recently, the service has confirmed that the first B-21 is on track for the delivery to Ellsworth AFB, the type’s first operational base, in 2027.
Work is already ongoing at Ellsworth to prepare it for the arrival of the new platform, with multiple construction projects in progress to prepare the required infrastructure. Among the projects was also the runway expansion work which required the base’s B-1B Lancer bombers to temporarily relocate to Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota.
At the moment, an unspecified number of aircraft are currently in production, with final assembly conducted at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California, facility, the same where also the B-2 Spirit was built. A second B-21 prototype was delivered on schedule to Edwards Air Force Base, California, in September 2025. As we explained back then, unlike the first one, the latter is not equipped with the air data probe and the trailing cone usually mounted on prototype aircraft as part of initial flight testing. Since the orange probe is clearly visible in the images captured by Recchio and Hamilton, we can conclude that the one performing the first (at least documented) aerial refueling test was the first prototype.
