This is the futuristic long-range stealth bomber B-21 Raider, of the US Air Force

At the beginning of last May, the American company Northrop Grumman, one of the main defense contractors in the world, successfully completed the first and most critical payload calibration test of the B-21 long-range attack bomber, of which the The US Air Force anticipates a first flight in 2023. This test was one of the three main conditions that this plane will be subjected to in this phase of ground tests on the way to its first flight.

The load calibration, whose objective is to adjust the instrumentation before the flight and verify the structural integrity, has yielded positive and consistent results. During testing, the B-21’s fuselage withstands varying percentages of stress to ensure the aircraft can continue on its path to flight readiness.

During the ground test phase, in addition to load calibration, the team will power up the aircraft, test its subsystems, and apply coatings and paint. The next steps will include performing engine tests, as well as low and high speed taxi tests, and then first flight.

Since the first day, Northrop Grumman has worked proactively to minimize production risk. Throughout the engineering, manufacturing and development phase, the company has emphasized risk reduction efforts and production readiness as one of the many priorities of the B-21 program. According to the risk-based approach, The successful calibration test is an important milestone that further validates the effectiveness of the company’s digital design capabilities and advanced manufacturing techniques.

Northrop Grumman has invested in a strong production program, one that is critical to the National Defense Strategy, to deliver the B-21 at a rate that will have a real effect on the US Air Force. in the fight against external threats.

Innovative digital engineering-based application and off-the-shelf business tools continue to bring an advanced degree of precision and efficiency to the construction process, progressing as B-21 test aircraft roll down the actual production line.

The first flight projection of 2023, as the Air Force now reports, is aligned with the information communicated during the financial and economic communication of the company’s first quarter and remains within the government’s Procurement Program benchmark schedule.

As the Air Force has indicated, the focus is on a safe first flight of a representative production aircraft. With six aircraft in various stages of production and testing, Northrop Grumman is moving toward that goal. as it continues to reduce risk, refine the build process, and mature the test fleet before first flight.

Randy Walden, director of the Office of Rapid Capabilities at the Department of the Air Force and executive director of the B-21 Raider program, recently said: “The B-21 test aircraft is the most representative production aircraft, both in its structure and its systems at this point in a program that I have observed in my career”.

With the first aircraft in the ground test phase and a successful payload calibration under its belt, Northrop Grumman is paving the way for the B-21 to launch later this year and first flight in 2023.