Aircraft · Air
B-21 Raider
Northrop Grumman stealth strategic bomber for the U.S. Air Force.
by Northrop Grumman · Unveiled Dec 2, 2022
- Milestones2
- Operators—
- Components—
- Programs—
- Capabilities—
- Inputs—
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua M. Carroll · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Air Force) · Source photograph is black and white. Resized and reencoded as WebP without additional crop or retouching.
Nuclear-capable, penetrating stealth bomber built by Northrop Grumman as the U.S. Air Force's next strategic bomber; unveiled in December 2022 and in flight test since November 2023.
Timeline2
- UnveiledConfirmed
B-21 Raider unveiled in Palmdale
The Defense Department and Northrop Grumman revealed the bomber at a ceremony in Palmdale, California.
- First flightReported
First flight
The first B-21 flew from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base.
The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.
Cost to the Government
Aircraft · Northrop Grumman
B-21 Raider
A future bomber procurement target. The minimum planned fleet must not be presented as aircraft already in inventory.
Average procurement / aircraft
$692M
Fact sheet; 2022 dollar basis · Constant FY2022 USD
Published APUC performance parameter, based on at least 100 aircraft; includes procurement support, training and spares, excludes R&D. Not a disclosed production-lot price.
U.S. Air Force ↗U.S. inventory
Not verified
The minimum 100 in the fact sheet is a planned acquisition quantity. A dated inventory count is not established here.
Minimum planned fleet
100
Fact sheet; date not stated · U.S. only
Minimum target, not deliveries.
U.S. Air Force ↗R&D total
Not verified
No verified public total in the reviewed source. Do not estimate it by multiplying APUC by fleet size.
Operations & sustainment
Reimbursement / flight hour
$96,855 / hr
FY2026 · Nominal USD; other DoD component
Published reimbursement rate; not demonstrated fleet-wide operating cost or evidence of operational fielding.
DoD Comptroller ↗Cost over time · 3 observations
Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.
| Observation | Measure | Amount | Dollar basis | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 dollar basis | APUC target, original dollar basis Same procurement parameter expressed in a different dollar year. | $550M | Constant FY2010 USD | U.S. Air Force ↗ |
| 2019 dollar basis | APUC target, rebased Re-expression of the parameter; not evidence of real cost growth. | $639M | Constant FY2019 USD | U.S. Air Force ↗ |
| 2022 dollar basis | APUC target, rebased Do not chart these three values as inflation-adjusted cost growth. | $692M | Constant FY2022 USD | U.S. Air Force ↗ |
Contracts & purchasing · 1 records
Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.
2015-10-27 · Development award
U.S. Air Force → Northrop Grumman
Value not verified · quantity not established
Engineering and manufacturing development award; contract value not disclosed in the cited fact sheet.
U.S. Air Force ↗
International buyers
No international purchase documented in this review.
Coverage & open research
- Production-lot prices, full R&D total, and a dated U.S. inventory count remain unverified.
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.