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First B-21 bomber enters ground testing, ‘on track for first flight'
[Defense News] The first B-21 Raider bomber has entered the ground test phase, paving the way for its expected rollout this year and subsequent first flight.Northrop Grumman now has six of the stealthy, next-generation aircraft in various stages of production, Darlene Costello, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a Friday roundtable with reporters at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. Tom Jones, Northrop’s Aeronautics Systems president, also confirmed in a statement that the first Raider is now undergoing ground tests. Costello said that with the start of testing on that B-21, "we are on track for first flight [and] we’re holding to our schedule." She would not go into further detail on plans for the B-21. In another roundtable with reporters at the conference, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he’s satisfied with the B-21′s progress so far. "At least at this stage of the game, the B-21′s moving forward really well," Kendall said. During the ground test phase at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where Northrop is building the B-21, testers will turn the B-21′s power on, test its subsystems, test its structural integrity, and apply coatings and paint. The next step will involve getting the B-21 ready for flight. This includes carrying out engine runs as well as low-speed and then high-speed taxiing. After that, the actual first flight from Plant 42 to Edwards Air Force Base in California will take place. Formal flight testing will be held at Edwards. Posted by: Angaiper Ulavins1210 2022-03-08 |
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