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| Science & Technology |
| First B-21 bomber enters ground testing, ‘on track for first flight' |
| 2022-03-08 |
| [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 |