B-21 Raider: first weapon release for the new US stealth bomber

The US stealth strategic bomber B-21 Raider has carried out the first weapon release in its test programme. The US Air Force announced on Friday, November 13 that a B-21 test aircraft that took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California dropped a conventional weapon. The type of weapon was not made public, nor was the date of the test.

According to the US Air Force, the release validated the aircraft’s digital models and the maturity of the open systems architecture on which it is designed. The announcement notes that the test demonstrates the B-21’s strike capability and its ability to integrate new weapons quickly, cementing its role as the future backbone of the US bomber fleet.

Thousands of hours in the “digital twin”

The flight was preceded by thousands of hours of virtual modelling in the B-21’s digital-twin environment. Thanks to this, the B-21 Combined Test Force accelerated weapon integration and was able to predict and correct the weapon’s trajectory with unprecedented accuracy before the aircraft even left the ground.

“This weapons test shows that the B-21 programme is going extremely well,” said US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach. “We are building an impressive fleet that will give our joint force credible penetrating-strike options for decades to come,” he added.

Northrop Grumman: “One step closer”

Manufacturer Northrop Grumman called the release a significant step for the next-generation bomber, showing the aircraft can carry and employ weapons. Tom Jones, the company’s corporate vice president and president of its Aeronautics Systems sector, said the B-21 is “one step closer” to giving the United States “unmatched deterrence” and that, as its US Air Force partners say, the Combined Test Force is “the envy of the entire test community” for its consistently fast pace and progress. The company recalls that aerial refuelling was added to flight testing this year, allowing longer test missions. The B-21’s first aerial refuelling took place in March.

Toward Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027

The US Air Force so far has two flying pre-production aircraft, of the six that will form the test fleet. The second B-21 arrived at Edwards in September 2025. Washington plans to acquire at least 100 bombers, and this year the Air Force and Northrop Grumman announced a 25% increase in annual production (our report) with a new assembly line at Palmdale. The first operational B-21s are expected in 2027 at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, where B-21 Integration Detachment 1 was activated on September 9 to coordinate preparation of the base to receive them.

The timeline recalls that of its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, which first flew in 1989 and made its first weapon release in 1992. The B-21 made its maiden flight in November 2023.