US Air Force needs over 200 B-21 bombers, expert argues as maiden flight faces delays
Northrop Grumman and the USAF revealed the world’s first sixth-generation stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider on 2 December in California. (Photo: US DoD)
The USAF has said that the first flight of the Northrop Grumman-manufactured B-21 Raider stealth bomber will take place several months later than planned, despite the confidence expressed by the company a couple of months ago.
Speaking to reporters at the McAleese and Associates conference in Washington on 19 March, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said the B-21’s first flight has ‘slipped from the original schedule'.
‘There’s a baseline schedule, which is on the books,’ he said. ‘There’s been no breach of that. But with the internal schedule, there’s been a slip of a few months.’
Kendall did not
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
Raytheon strikes deal with new rocket motor maker to secure supply chain
Raytheon has seen increased demand for its missiles in the face of the Russia-Ukraine war where Kyiv has been using air-to-air missiles for ground-based air-defence.
-
European Common Radar System Mk2 begins ground-testing in UK
BAE Systems hopes to work out any issues before the radar is sent for flight testing.
-
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA
The Ultraforce 380-HDc, launched at Farnborough International Airshow, builds on Teledyne FLIR’s successful Star SAFIRE family of systems and is aimed at both the military and security markets.
-
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.