Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force are intensifying efforts to scale up production of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, driven by a substantial investment in digital engineering and manufacturing systems. The company has committed in excess of $5 billion to build the infrastructure it says is needed to support a faster production tempo for the program.
Company officials report that several B-21 aircraft are now participating in flight testing and that their in-flight performance has surpassed the expectations set by the aircraft’s digital models. The Combined Test Force has structured operations so that an aircraft can be serviced and prepared for a subsequent test flight the following day, enabling a high cadence of validation flights.
The initial B-21 remains on schedule for delivery to Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027. Final assembly work is being carried out at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California, facility, while additional manufacturing activities take place across other U.S. locations. The program mobilizes more than 8,000 personnel drawn from industry and the Air Force, and it depends on a supplier base of over 400 companies spanning 40 states.
Northrop Grumman says its digital ecosystem has halved the time required for software certification, a change intended to accelerate bringing updates and capabilities into service. The B-21 is built with next-generation stealth technologies and an open architecture designed to permit future upgrades to mission systems and weapons. It is configured to carry both conventional and nuclear payloads.
The aircraft’s low-observable design is described as easier and less costly to maintain than earlier platforms. In parallel with production and testing, Northrop Grumman is developing training, sustainment and fleet management tools to support Air Force operations and maintenance of the bomber fleet. The test fleet was expanded in 2025, and ground and flight testing are ongoing to continue validating aircraft performance.
Context and implications
- Investment in digital engineering and manufacturing is central to the plan to raise production capacity and shorten certification timelines.
- Testing cadence and reported performance that exceeds digital models support a faster validation process.
- Large-scale involvement of industry personnel and a widespread supplier network underscore the program’s manufacturing footprint across the U.S.