The B-21 Raider program has entered a new phase as an operational test pilot flew the bomber alongside a developmental test pilot in the cockpit. The move is a significant shift for how the Air Force is testing one of its most important next-generation aircraft.
At Edwards Air Force Base, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5 placed an operational test member in the pilot seat with an Air Force Test Pilot School graduate in the other seat. Col. Matt Guasco said that had never happened so early in a modern test program.
A Faster Path From Test to Combat Use
Traditional developmental test focuses on whether an aircraft meets technical requirements and flies safely. Operational test usually comes later, when the service decides whether a platform is combat-effective, suitable and survivable in warfighter hands.
By combining those roles earlier, the B-21 effort removes the long gap between proving that a jet works and proving that it is ready for combat. Lt. Col. Matthew Gray, commander of the 420th Flight Test Squadron and Raider CTF director, said the change lets the team evaluate the bomber’s “true combat utility, not just its flying characteristics.”
White Calls for Urgency With Purpose
Gen. Dale White, the Department of War’s direct reporting portfolio manager for critical major weapon systems, said the integration reflects a broader acquisition culture change. He described it as a “smarter and faster mindset” that uses modern production and test tools with “urgency” that challenges old processes.
During an all-call with the Raider Combined Test Force on June 8, White said there are three programs the future of the nation depends upon: Sentinel, B-21 and F-47. He told the team, “I’m not going to be reckless and say go faster,” and instead asked, “How can I clear the way?”
Why Edwards Matters to the Raider
With a second B-21 arriving at Edwards AFB last summer, the Raider Combined Test Force moved beyond early flight performance checks and into mission systems and weapon integration. The 412th Test Wing currently tests the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
The test force includes Airmen and civilian personnel from the 412th Test Wing’s 420th Flight Test Squadron, AFOTEC Det 5, the 53rd Wing’s 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, and Northrop Grumman industry partners. White told the group he worries that urgency will not be embraced and that talk will remain cheap.
He closed by saying, “I would not want to place this mission in the hands of anyone else,” and added that when the team is unleashed with urgency founded on meaning and purpose, “no adversary stands a chance.”
The B-21 Raider is planned to join the B-52 Stratofortress to form the backbone of America’s future bomber force, with long-range penetrating strike capability complementing the B-52’s massive-payload standoff role.