The photographs seem to point out the B-21 Raider’s outboard trailing-edge management surfaces deflected in reverse instructions, suggesting a distinct speed-brake and drag-management association than the B-2’s acquainted break up rudders.
On Jun. 3, 2026, the primary prototype of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider carried out a take a look at mission from Edwards Air Drive Base, California. Utilizing the radio callsign RAIDER17, the stealth bomber was airborne as two KC-46s, utilizing ARRIS callsign, had been additionally flying the standard tanker racetrack, and the Scaled Composites Hawker 4000 N639RA was working in the identical space utilizing the radio callsign SCAT21. Each the tankers and SCAT could possibly be tracked on-line on ADSBExchange.
Though the B-21 was clearly not monitoring on-line, it was clearly seen from the bottom.
“The Raider was not on tracker, nevertheless its orbit appeared to intersect with the opposite three planes perpendicular to theirs. All of them broke orbit when the Raider known as into the Edwards Tower to land,” instructed us photographer Fred Taleghani who was close to Edwards to shoot some pictures of “Cerberus” (because the B-21 take a look at article 0001 is nicknamed).
In reality, the B-21 has lately been concerned in air-to-air refueling missions, the primary of these came about over Jap California on Mar. 10, 2026, lasted 5 hours and 33 minutes, was documented by a number of photographers who had been in a position to shot some unbelievable pictures of the primary Raider prototype behind the particular geared up tanker primarily based out of Edwards Air Drive Base. On Apr. 14, 2026, the U.S. Air Drive publicly acknowledged that the B-21 Raider has lately carried out aerial refueling from a KC-135 as a part of its ongoing take a look at and analysis program, collectively carried out with Northrop Grumman, at Edwards Air Drive Base, California.
As RAIDER17 got here in to land, Taleghani was in a position to get a pleasant view of the touchdown gear and, above all, of the B-21’s management surfaces performing as pace brakes.
In contrast to the B-2, the B-21 seems to characteristic a number of discrete outboard trailing-edge management surfaces. As Taleghani’s photographs present, the outermost floor (additionally known as elevon or flaperon – though the latter definition might be not right because the surfaces don’t appear to have carry augmentation capabilities) seems deflected upward, whereas the adjoining mid-outboard floor seems deflected downward, suggesting that the Raider’s flight-control system could use differential deflection of adjoining surfaces moderately than a easy B-2-style break up drag-rudder association.
Evidently, the precise operate of every floor and the related management legal guidelines stay undisclosed, nonetheless the photographs permit to “debunk” simplistic observations that recommended the B-21 used break up drag rudders precisely just like the B-2.
Few years in the past we posted an article with a video exhibiting the motion of the break up rudders and elevons of the B-2. As we defined, for the reason that plane has no vertical fin, the break up rudders and the elevons are used to manage the plane rotation alongside the vertical/yaw axis, whereas pitch and roll are managed by way of (mid and inboard) elevons. The split-rudders additionally act as pace brakes.
The B-2 Spirit additionally encompasses a peculiar exhaust and the wedge-shaped flap in the midst of the trailing edge, the GLAS (Gust Load Alleviation System), that appears just like the plane’s beaver tail and counters the rolling impression or resonance to easy out the experience of the B-2 in turbulent situations and prolong the plane’s fatigue life. Air Drive take a look at information finite elemental evaluation (FEA) modeling counsel the B-2 will stay structurally sound to roughly 40,000 flight hours.
Newest B-21 information
That being stated, as we lately reported, the U.S. Air Drive and Northrop Grumman are transferring to hurry up each manufacturing and supply of the B-21 Raider, with the primary bomber anticipated to achieve Ellsworth Air Drive Base, South Dakota, subsequent 12 months. In reality, the Division of the Air Drive and Northrop Grumman have already introduced an settlement aimed toward increasing manufacturing of the brand new stealth bomber whereas accelerating its supply timeline.
Based mostly on the latest statements, the primary plane stays on monitor to be delivered to Ellsworth AFB, which is able to change into the sort’s first operational base, in 2027.
Preparations at Ellsworth are already properly underway, with a number of building tasks ongoing to assist the arrival of the brand new platform and supply the required infrastructure. These efforts additionally included runway growth work, which pressured the bottom’s B-1B Lancer fleet to briefly relocate to Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, final 12 months.
At current, an undisclosed variety of B-21s are in manufacturing, with ultimate meeting going down at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California, facility, the identical plant the place the B-2 Spirit was additionally constructed. A second B-21 prototype was delivered on schedule to Edwards Air Drive Base, California, in September 2025. As we famous on the time, in contrast to the primary plane, it doesn’t characteristic the air information probe and trailing cone usually seen on prototypes through the early levels of flight testing.
