Without prior notice from the manufacturer Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force, flight testing of the B-21 Raider began on Friday morning US time with a successful maiden flight in Palmdale.
At 6:51 a.m. local time (15:51 Austrian time), the B-2 successor took off according to a current Reuters report accompanied by an F-16 Fighting Falon as a chase aircraft and landed at Edwards Air Force Base about an hour and a half later.
B-21 RAIDER FIRST FLIGHT 11-10-23 #RAIDER33 #B21Raider pic.twitter.com/3tEKudqDiw
– Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) November 10, 2023
Northrop Grumman did not want to officially confirm the flight of the flying wing. Only this much: “The B-21 is undergoing flight tests. Flight testing is an important step in the test campaign led by the Air Force Test Center and the 412th Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force.” The test program includes six aircraft, with new details recently new details about the B-2 successor were revealed. The new US super-bomber will be able to transport both conventional and nuclear weapons and will have long-range and aerial refueling capabilities. The Air Force plans to buy at least 100 aircraft to replace its B-1 and B-2 bomber fleet.
