The U.S. Air Force is accelerating the entry into service of the B-21 Raider stealth nuclear bomber through a compressed testing process. According to information released by the U.S. Air Force on June 15, for the first time in the flight test phase of this aircraft type, a combat pilot and a test pilot were involved in the same aircraft at an early stage in order to more quickly incorporate actual combat feedback into the development and testing process.
Normally, the test flights of military aircraft are carried out in a strict sequence. First, test pilots complete structural, aerodynamic, performance and system verification, and then enter combat testing, where combat testers evaluate their combat effectiveness, applicability and survivability in real threat environments. However, the Pentagon obviously hopes to shorten this type of cycle that "may last for months or even years" because the B-21 is an important part of the "trinity" of US nuclear deterrence, and the external environment is also pushing it to mature as soon as possible.
In this latest round of testing, combat test pilots from the Air Force Combat Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 5 entered the cockpit together with R&D test pilots from the Air Force Test Flight School. This approach is part of the B-21 modernization drive and coincides with the acceleration of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile and F-47 next-generation fighter programs.
The Air Force said the new directive requires leadership to prioritize resources and proactively remove bureaucratic and administrative obstacles to ensure projects move forward as planned. By integrating development and operational testing earlier, feedback can be passed to prime contractor Northrop Grumman in near real-time, allowing for corrections to be made before problems become costly modifications.
According to the plan, the U.S. Air Force will eventually field at least 200 B-21s to gradually replace the B-1B "Lancer" and B-2 "Ghost" bombers, and form a more complete replacement relationship around 2040, and will later replace the B-52J "Stratofortress" bomber. The first aircraft of this type is expected to enter active service in 2028.
Air Force Gen. Dale White, manager of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Direct Reporting Program for Important Weapons Systems, said that the integration of operational testing and development testing into the B-21 project reflects the change in procurement culture that is being implemented throughout the military. He said that this smarter and faster thinking, combined with modern production and testing tools, and promoting execution with a stronger sense of urgency, aims to break the old process and move towards a more flexible procurement system.