Two months after its first flight, the B-21 Raider will enter production at a Low-rate initial production (LRIP). William LaPlante, the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Procurement and Support, has just announced this. A contract has been awarded to Northrop Grumman.
According to Northrop Grumman, the aircraft has already completed all necessary tests and met performance requirements. The USAF expects to put at least a hundred B-21s into service.
In 2015, Northrop Grumman was chosen by the Pentagon to develop the future strategic bomber for the U.S. Air Force as part of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, the value of which was then estimated at $80 billion for 80 to 100 devices.
The Pentagon specified only that it would be “stealthy”, with the capacity also to carry out electronic warfare and intelligence missions.
The B-21 Raider began ground testing last summer. Then, it made its maiden flight on November 10, after taking off from Air Force Plant 42 (AFP42) in Palmdale to join Edwards Air Force Base.
