- Air Force and Northrop Grumman say early November test moves the stealth bomber from flight testing to a functional weapons platform, with first operational aircraft due at Ellsworth in 2027
WASHINGTON 15 NOVEMBER 2026 (Agencies) – The B-21 Raider conducted a weapons release test for the first time this month, the US Air Force and manufacturer Northrop Grumman said on November 13.
The test, which took place in the first week of November, marks the aircraft’s transition from a flight test aircraft to a functional weapons platform, the Air Force said in a statement. Northrop Grumman said in its own statement that the test advances the bomber into the weapons testing phase. In the test, a B-21 took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and released a conventional weapon, the Air Force said, without specifying what the weapon was.
The service said the test was successful, validating the bomber’s digital models and the maturity of its open systems architecture and proving its strike capability. It also showed that the Raider can rapidly take on new weapons, the Air Force said. The test followed thousands of hours of virtual modelling with the B-21’s digital twin, which allowed the bomber’s Combined Test Force to speed up weapons integration and to predict and refine the weapon’s trajectory before the aircraft left the ground. “The B-21 is designed to deliver improved combat capability to the warfighter, combining reliability and maintainability to quickly integrate new weapons,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. “This successful test demonstrates our ability to adapt rapidly and hold any target at risk if deterrence fails.”
The Northrop-made B-21 is the Air Force’s newest stealth bomber and its first new bomber in more than three decades. Advances in stealth, open systems architecture, advanced sensors and data sharing have led the Air Force and Northrop to describe it as the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft. The Raider is designed to fly long distances before needing to refuel, can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, and can carry out penetrating strikes into enemy territory. Northrop said the B-21 has “exceptional payload flexibility”, allowing commanders to tailor its weapons loadout to specific missions, such as long-range strikes or operating in heavily contested airspace.
Northrop Grumman praised the Combined Test Force’s sustained rapid test pace and progress. “B-21 is another step closer to giving the U.S. unrivaled deterrence,” said Tom Jones, president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems. The Air Force and Northrop said the first operational B-21 is on track to arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027, and that the programme is working to accelerate its production and test capabilities to lay the groundwork for that arrival. Northrop said it recently opened another B-21 manufacturing facility in Layton, Utah, with 265,000 square feet of manufacturing space, and has broken ground on a 1-million-square-foot assembly line facility at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, as it moves to meet the Air Force’s directive to accelerate production and delivery.