Aerotech News and Review December 2023

Aerotech News
Aerotech News Journal of Aerospace, Defense Industry and Veteran News
Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider makes first flight
and Review
and Review
The Northrop Grumman-built B-21 Raider made its first flight from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., Nov. 10, 2023.
Neither the Air Force nor Northrop Grum- man made any prior announcements about the flight, but the aircraft was spotted in the skies of Southern California’s Antelope Valley, home to the Northrop Grumman facility that is designing and building the United States’ newest bomber, and Edwards Air Force Base where the bomber will be tested.
“The B-21 Raider is in flight testing,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said.
The test “is a critical first step in the test cam- paign managed by the Air Force Test Center and 412th Test Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force to provide survivable, long-range penetrating strike
Northrop Grumman photograph
capabilities to deter aggression and strategic at- tacks against the United States, allies, and part- ners,” Stefanek continued.
The Raider is designed to carry conventional and nuclear weapons, in either a crewed or un- screwed configuration.
According to Northrop Grumman, the “pro- gram is reimagining traditional acquisition pro- cesses. Through active contract management, Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have worked in a partnership focused on shared suc- cess over the long term. The teams’ focus on transparency is evident in the industry-first data sharing agreement that provides the end user with access to valuable data, including the B-21 digital twin.”
See RAIDER, Page 2
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December 1, 2023 • Volume 38, Issue 11
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