US Air Force, Northrop Grumman start work on second B-21 assembly line
A new B-21 Raider production building is going up at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, adding roughly one million square feet and a planned 25 percent lift in annual output.
The US Air Force and Northrop Grumman have started construction on another production building for the B-21 Raider at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The two announced the groundbreaking about a week after the ceremony, held on 29 September 2026.
The plan adds roughly one million square feet of manufacturing space. The companies say the expansion is meant to raise yearly B-21 output by 25 percent.
The first operational Raiders are due at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027. According to the Air Force and Northrop Grumman, the added capacity will shorten the time needed to get the bomber to operational units, and site work at Ellsworth is already under way for its arrival.
Gen. Dale White, who directs Critical Major Weapon Systems and serves as Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager to the Deputy Secretary of War, said the ceremony marked a long-term commitment to fielding the capability at the pace the security environment requires. He called the Raider central to the Air Force's future long-range strike mission.
Flight testing continues at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Sources
- theaviationist.comU.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Break Ground on New B-21 Raider Final Assembly Line