Why The B-21's Path From 2023 1st Flight To 2027 Delivery Mirrors The B-2's Roughly 4-Year Timeline

The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is on track to be the first operational sixth-generation stealth bomber in the world by next year. Inspired by the first stealth flying wing, the B-2 Spirit, the B-21's progression from first flight to operational handover also parallels its predecessor, with the current expectation that it will be slightly earlier as well. The B-2 was the world's first fifth-generation bomber and combat-capable flying wing aircraft, but it was also notoriously expensive.