The unveiling of the new B-21 bomber was staged to keep many of its innovations under wraps, but more than 34 years of technological advances since the B-2’s 1988 rollout were clearly in evidence. Although a senior Northrop Grumman official said the majority of what ...
In a nighttime ceremony contrived to continue concealment of many of its features, the new B-21 bomber rolled out of Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif. plant Dec. 2. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the aircraft's advanced technology represents "deterrence, the American way."
The B-21 will be the centerpiece of the Air Force's long-range strike portfolio, expected to enter service in a few years and persist for decades with continuous improvements to make it capable against tough and evolving air defense threats worldwide. The B-21 is to be ...
Eight of the Air Force’s 20 B-2s assembled on one runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., on Nov. 7, for a rare “elephant walk” of the service’s stealth bomber. The gathering of B-2s from the 509th Bomb Wing, along with the Air National Guard’s 131st ...
Northrop Grumman has revealed new details about the B-21 Raider ahead of the bomber's rollout Dec. 2. Calling the B-21 a "sixth-generation" aircraft, the company confirmed that the bomber will rely on external support platforms; that it has a "digital twin" to aid development; and ...
Gen. B. Chance “Salty” Saltzman became the second-ever Chief of Space Operations on Nov. 2, bringing with him a resume unlikely ever to be repeated. A space operator most of his career, he was the deputy air component commander at U.S. Central Command and the ...
As part of Air & Space Forces Magazine’s commemoration of the Air Force’s 75th anniversary, we interviewed all of the living former Chiefs of Staff. In this part of the series, we feature CSAF No. 12 Gen. Larry D. Welch.
The Department of Defense unveiled updated defense, nuclear, and missile defense strategies Oct. 27 that outline a fundamental shift in the world's nuclear weapons threat. DOD states that nuclear weapons underpin U.S. strategic defenses and that America will continue to invest in its nuclear forces.
The Air Force and Northrop Grumman will roll out the B-21 Raider from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., on Dec. 2, the company announced. The rollout is the first of a new Air Force bomber since 1988, when the B-2 Spirit emerged from ...
Initial planning has begun for the retirement of the B-1 and B-2 bombers, but the game plan depends largely on progress in fielding the B-21 Raider—and on Congress—the Air Force’s bomber program executive officer said. In an Air Force bomber roadmap from 2018, the service ...
Pledging to pursue “speed without sacrificing discipline” in the acquisition process, Gen. Duke Z. Richardson took command of Air Force Materiel Command on June 13, relieving Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr., who has run the service’s acquisition, research, development, logistics, and test organization since 2019. ...
Just five U.S. aircraft remain to be certified with the KC-46 tanker for operational missions designated by U.S. Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command said. The new tanker is certified for some 97 percent of mission taskings now, but it's unclear when the next capability release ...