B-21 Raider Bomber Enters Low Rate Initial Production
Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract for the initial production of the B-21 Raider last fall, according to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment William LaPlante.
“Production of the B-21 ‘Raider’ stealth bomber is moving forward. This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team’s mature plans for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-21s at a low rate,” said LaPlante in a statement to Breaking Defense.
“One of the key attributes of this program has been designing for production from the start — and at scale — to provide a credible deterrent to adversaries. If you don’t produce and field to warfighters at scale, the capability doesn’t really matter,” added LaPlante. No details on the amount of aircraft ordered, delivery schedule, or cost of the contract were provided.
While only prototype aircraft are known to have been produced so far, Northrop Grumman has previously said that the prototypes are “production representative” aircraft, with low rate initial production to begin while prototype testing is still underway.
Northrop Grumman chief executive officer Kathy Warden has said that the Raider’s first flight, which took place on November 10, was a necessary milestone for the company to be awarded a low-rate initial production contract for the B-21. During Northrop Grumman’s third quarter earnings call last October, Warden said that the company was expecting “zero profitability” on the fixed price LRIP contract due to the impact of inflation and increased labor costs.
Warden has previously said that the B-21 program is only expected to become profitable once full scale production is underway.
“As shared by the U.S. Air Force, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider has entered low-rate initial production. Our team received the contract award after B-21 entered flight testing within the program baseline schedule. Our production representative test aircraft indicated readiness for production, achieving all flight performance and data requirements,” Northrop Grumman said in a statement.
“As the world’s first six-generation aircraft, B-21 forms the backbone of the future for U.S. air power, delivering a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors and weapons, and is rapidly upgradable to outpace evolving threats.”