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 next year.
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. Notably, the service confirmed that the program is on track to deliver the first B-21 to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, in 2027.
The agreement
According to the service, the agreement applies $4.5 billion in funding already authorized and appropriated under the fiscal year 2025 reconciliation legislation, which has been named by the U.S. administration as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The press release now specifies that the agreement includes the increase of the annual production capacity by 25%, which allows “compressing delivery timelines while preserving cost and performance discipline.”
“This is what disciplined acquisition delivers,” said Gen. Dale R. White, director, Critical Major Weapon Systems and direct reporting portfolio manager to the Deputy Secretary of War. “This decision reflects our confidence in the program’s performance and the stability of the industrial base. By increasing production capacity now, we are responsibly accelerating delivery of a critical, combat-effective capability to the warfighter.”
The bill, which was approved last summer, already mentioned the $4.5 billion were meant for the acceleration of the B-21’s production, although negotiations were still in progress. In fact, Northrop Grumman repeatedly mentioned in the past that it was ready to expand its production to help the Air Force meet its fielding timelines, confirming that discussions were in progress.
“The strong performance of the B-21 program has our Northrop Grumman and Air Force team ready to accelerate production of this game-changing capability for our nation,” said Kathy Warden, chair, chief executive officer and president, Northrop Grumman. “Northrop Grumman has invested more than $5 billion in digital engineering and manufacturing infrastructure, and we are ready to produce B-21 faster.”
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. The service mentioned that a B-21 was delivered on schedule in 2025, referring to the second bomber delivered to Edwards Air Force Base, California, in September 2025.
“The B-21 is foundational to our long-range strike capability and to credible deterrence,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “Accelerating production capacity now ensures we deliver operational capability to combatant commanders faster – strengthening our ability to outpace, deter, and, if necessary, defeat emerging threats. This is disciplined execution at the speed the security environment demands.”
Previously, Air Force officials said the B-21 was expected to be ready for service around 2026 or 2027. With the latest press release, 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.
The B-21 Raider
The B-21 Raider is the centerpiece of the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Strike Bomber program, developed by Northrop Grumman to provide a survivable, flexible, and affordable platform capable of penetrating advanced defenses. It is the first new American bomber introduced in over three decades, marking a generational leap intended to secure U.S. global strike capability well into the future.
The aircraft is dual-capable, designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons, and will eventually replace the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets while complementing the upgraded B-52J Stratofortress. The Raider is expected to form the backbone of the Air Force’s bomber force for decades to come.
The U.S. Air Force has currently 100 B-21s on order. Northrop Grumman was awarded the second low-rate initial production contract for the Raider late in 2024 and is now scaling the production to meet the service’s timeline, although recent reports have suggested that production is under budget and ahead of schedule.
Visually, the B-21 shares the iconic flying-wing configuration of the B-2, but closer examination reveals a series of refinements that reflect both advances in stealth technology and lessons learned from earlier programs. Among the most noticeable features are its blended, flush-mounted engine inlets designed to reduce radar cross-section, narrower and arched cockpit side windows and the main landing gear adopting a simpler two-wheel configuration.
Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have emphasized that the most significant innovations are embedded in the aircraft’s systems and materials rather than in radical aerodynamic changes. The Raider incorporates a new generation of low-observable coatings and composite materials intended to improve durability and reduce the extensive maintenance historically associated with stealth aircraft.
Its avionics are built on an open-systems architecture, allowing new sensors, weapons, and mission systems to be integrated more quickly and cost-effectively than in past platforms. The aircraft is also designed from the outset to operate as part of a larger networked force, capable of sharing data with other platforms and potentially controlling unmanned systems in future concepts of operations.
