The B-21 Raider had its first flight

The historic event was captured on video in Palmdale, California, near U.S. Air Force Plant 42, on the early morning of November 10. It shows the B-21 Raider, with its landing gear deployed (typical procedure for the first flights of an aircraft), being escorted by an F-16 chase plane.

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B-21 RAIDER FIRST FLIGHT 11-10-23 #RAIDER33 #B21Raider pic.twitter.com/3tEKudqDiw

— Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) November 10, 2023

#b21 #b21raider #usaf #usa #palmdale #ca #onassignment @reuters pic.twitter.com/2VO5tZAdBW

— David Swanson (@SwansonPhotog) November 10, 2023

The mighty B-21 Raider

The aircraft was unveiled by Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) on December 2, 2022, who described it as the world’s first sixth-generation combat aircraft. The B-21 is the latest addition the U.S. nuclear triad.

Based on design requirements, the B-21 is a long-range, highly survivable stealth bomber capable of carrying a combination of conventional and nuclear munitions. Developed with future modernization in mind to ensure that the aircraft and technology, the B-21 can evolve with the passage of time and changing threats.

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The aircraft is designed to operate in tomorrow’s high-end threat environment and will play a critical role in ensuring enduring U.S. air power and power projection capabilities.

See also: With the arrival of the first Boeing T-7A Red Hawk at Edwards AFB, the USAF begins its flight test campaign

«»Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft. Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky.», Lloyd J. Austin III, U.S. Secretary of Defense, said some time ago.

The B-21 Raider will be part of a broader family of systems for conventional long-range strike, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack, communication and other capabilities. Its sixth-generation capacities include advanced stealth, large computational capability to handle huge information flows, full multi-domain digital connectivity, open architecture systems and its ability to adapt to manned or unmanned operations. In addition, it will be able to employ a wide range of direct and ranged strike munitions, including future hypersonic missiles under development.