Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force have begun construction of a new final assembly line for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, as the program prepares to move toward higher production rates.
The expansion will add more than 1 million sq ft (93,000 sq m) of facilities and increase annual B-21 production capacity by 25%. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 29, with the Air Force announcing the project on October 8.
Plant 42 is owned by the US Air Force but hosts manufacturing operations run by defense contractors. Northrop Grumman already assembles the B-21 at the site and previously used the Palmdale complex to produce its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit.
The expansion is supported by US$4.5 billion in government funding intended to accelerate B-21 production. Northrop Grumman has also committed US$2.5 billion of its own capital to expand manufacturing capacity for the program.
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Neither the company nor the Air Force has disclosed the current annual production rate. The 25% increase therefore cannot yet be translated into a specific number of additional bombers per year.
The Air Force plans to acquire at least 100 B-21s, although officials have discussed the possibility of a larger fleet as the United States seeks to expand its long-range strike capacity.
New line precedes first operational deliveries
The industrial expansion comes before the B-21 has entered operational service. The first aircraft made its maiden flight in November 2023, and the test fleet is operating from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
At least two B-21s are involved in flight testing, with additional aircraft in different stages of production. Unlike traditional prototype programs, Northrop Grumman built the test aircraft using production-representative processes and tooling, an approach intended to reduce the transition between development and series production.
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The first operational B-21s are scheduled to reach Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027. Ellsworth will become the first operational base for the new bomber.
The Raider is being developed to replace the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit and will eventually operate alongside the B-52J. The aircraft is designed for conventional and nuclear missions and to penetrate heavily defended airspace.
Plant 42 has a long association with classified US aircraft programs. Besides B-2 production, the Palmdale complex has supported several reconnaissance, bomber and stealth programs, making the new B-21 line a continuation of a manufacturing role the site has held for decades.
