$ 108 million to prematurely purchase parts for the B-21 Raider bomber

The development and production of the American next-generation bomber is the responsibility of Northrop Grumman, to which the US Air Force has just awarded a contract worth 108 million dollars for the premature purchase of parts for the B-21 Raider bomber. All this to protect yourself for the future and possible delays in deliveries.

The US Air Force decided to prematurely purchase parts for the B-21 Raider bomber

The contract announced on Wednesday is the latest step of the Armed Forces towards the introduction of a new generation stealth bomber into service. This is definitely the right thing to do, because if these items are not ordered in advance, the entire program could be put on hold pending delivery. However, this is not a particularly exceptional situation, because in order to avoid such a situation in the future, the military had previously regularly provided advance payments for orders in large programs.

As the B-21s will become the “backbone” of the US bomber fleet, this pre-order deal demonstrates the commitment of the US Air Force to its entry into service. As far as we know, the plans for now include the first flight of the B-21 later this year after passing the still ongoing tests.

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What is certain is that Northrop Grumman currently has at least six bombers in various stages of production at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Of these six, at least one aircraft is so advanced in production that it is currently undergoing ground tests, which include checking its design and integrity before flight. Other steps in the B-21 ground test include powering up, testing subsystems, and applying coatings and paints.