ISSUE BRIEF
No. 5384 | JUNE 23, 2025
DOUGLAS AND SARAH ALLISON CENTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
This paper, in its entirety, can be found at https://report.heritage.org/ib5384
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Time to Double the Production
Rate of the B-21
Shawn Barnes and Robert Peters
The B-21 Raider represents the future of
America’s strategic bomber force, a plat-
form designed to ensure dominance in an
era of complex and evolving threats.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Quantity, as much as quality, will define
the strategic balance of the 21st century.
By investing in a second B-21 production
line, the nation can ensure that this bal-
ance tips decisively in its favor.
T
he Air Force’s newest strategic bomber, the
B-21 Raider, was unveiled in December 2022
1
at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The air-
craft builds on decades of stealth technology and
provides vital long-range, deep-strike capability nec-
essary to deter adversaries for the next several decades.
This technological marvel was many years in
the making. Initial concepts for the program began
in 2011, and the Engineering, Manufacturing, and
Development contract
2
was awarded to Northrop
Grumman in 2015. Given the appropriate secrecy
surrounding the program, it is not known the current
B-21 inventory or production rate. However, the Air
Force has stated a need for at least 100 aircraft
3
and
an expectation of procuring 10 aircraft per year once
in full-rate production. At best, the nation is unlikely
to have even 100 aircraft until the late 2030s. This is
