Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Takes Flight | Aviation International News

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B-21 Raider Takes Flight

The production-representative test vehicle landed at the USAF’s primary test site at Edwards AFB.

Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider — The first B-21, nicknamed Cerberus, undertook a number of taxi trials ahead of the first flight on November 10. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)

By David Donald • Contributor - UK

November 12, 2023

The first example of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider sixth-generation bomber has made the type’s first flight. The stealthy flying-wing aircraft took off from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California, in the early morning of November 10 and landed at nearby Edwards AFB around 90 minutes later. The flight comes after a number of daytime sightings of taxi trials underway at Palmdale.

During the flight, the B-21 was accompanied by an F-16 chase plane, and the Raider’s landing gear remained down throughout. The aircraft was equipped with a temporary test instrumentation boom projecting forward from beneath the port leading edge. The bomber towed further air data test equipment on a cable.

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