The US Air Force (USAF) has revealed that an operational test pilot has flown the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider for the first time, a step that officials say marks a significant change in how the service evaluates new combat aircraft.
According to the Air Force, the flight involved an operational test pilot from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) and a developmental test pilot in the same cockpit. The mission took place at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where the B-21 flight test campaign is underway.
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Colonel Matt Guasco, commander of AFOTEC Detachment 5, said the participation of an operational pilot at such an early stage is unusual for a modern military aircraft program.
“We put an operational test member in the pilot seat with an Air Force Test Pilot School graduate in the other,” Guasco said. “In the history of modern test, we’ve never done that so early in a program.”
Traditionally, developmental testing focuses on verifying that an aircraft meets technical requirements and can be operated safely. Operational testing is normally conducted later and evaluates whether the platform is effective and suitable for combat missions.
The Air Force said the B-21 program is attempting to merge those phases earlier, allowing operational requirements to be assessed while developmental testing is still underway.
The Raider Combined Test Force includes personnel from the 412th Test Wing, AFOTEC, the 53rd Wing and Northrop Grumman.
The B-21 is intended to replace part of the aging B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets and will become one of the pillars of the US Air Force’s future long-range strike capability alongside the B-52 Stratofortress.
B-21 among Pentagon’s highest-priority programs
The announcement came days after General Dale White, the Pentagon official responsible for several major acquisition programs, visited the B-21 test team at Edwards Air Force Base.
White described the Raider as one of the three most important defense programs currently underway in the United States, alongside the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile and the F-47 next-generation fighter.
“There are three programs the future of our nation depends upon: Sentinel, B-21 and F-47,” White told personnel involved in the program.
Rather than calling for faster testing directly, White said his priority was ensuring adequate resources and removing bureaucratic obstacles that could slow progress.
The Air Force currently has at least two B-21 aircraft involved in flight testing at Edwards. The program has recently expanded beyond basic flight evaluations into mission systems and weapons integration activities as it moves toward operational service later this decade.
