New look at US Air Force's B-21 stealth bomber ahead of first flight

The United States Air Force has released new images of its advanced nuclear stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider.

The aircraft, capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons, has been developed by the air force and US aviation manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

It will form the backbone of the future for US air power in the decades ahead.

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The aircraft was unveiled to much fanfare in December 2022, the first time in more than 30 years a new US bomber has been publicly launched.

Pentagon officials said this week the Raider is scheduled to begin test flights later this year.

"The B-21, which we rolled out just a few months ago, will be the centrepiece for our Global Strike family of systems," US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said at an industry event in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday.

"The B-21 is projected to begin flight tests later this calendar year. Our goal is to get into production as quickly as possible with acceptable concurrency risk … overlapping some testing production."

Northrop Grumman said last year the Raider will help American pilots "penetrate the toughest defences for precision strikes anywhere in the world."

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Six bombers are currently under production, the company said.

After adjustments for inflation, the cost of each aircraft, including training materials, support equipment and other components of the bomber, is US$692 million ($1.1 billion), according to an estimate last year.

The US Air Force plans to purchase at least 100 of the stealth bombers.

The US Congressional Budget Office estimated the aircraft will cost $1.2 trillion (A$1.77 trillion) through to 2046.

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