(Washington) The B-21 Raider made its first test flight Friday, bringing the futuristic warplane closer to becoming the United States’ next nuclear-armed stealth bomber.
The Raider flew from Palmdale, California, where it was tested and developed by Northrop Grumman.
The Air Force plans to build 100 of these warplanes, which have a flying wing shape similar to that of their predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, but which incorporate advanced materials and propulsion and stealth in order to make them more capable of surviving in a future conflict. The aircraft is planned to be produced in both manned and unmanned variants.
PHOTO DAVID SWANSON, REUTERS
These tests are a crucial step in the campaign to provide “penetrating, long-range, survivable strike capabilities to deter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, its allies and partners,” a statement said. spokesperson for the United States Air Force.
The B-21 Raider is the first new U.S. bomber plane in more than 30 years, and nearly every aspect of the program is classified. Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have attempted to protect details of the program to prevent China from building a similar version, as it has done with other advanced U.S. weapons systems such as the F-35 joint attack aircraft.
PHOTO DAVID SWANSON, REUTERS
The B-21 is part of the Pentagon’s effort to modernize all three legs of its nuclear triad, which includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, while investing in new weapons to deal with China’s rapid military modernization.
Northrop Grumman is based in Falls Church, Virginia.