American New Strategic B-21 Bomber Completes First Flight

The American new strategic B-21 bomber has completed its first flight, Reuters reports.

The bomber took off from a Northrop Grumman facility in California on Friday around 07:00 local time (19:00 Yerevan time). No information has yet been provided regarding the exact time of the B-21's flight.

The U.S. Air Force unveiled the B-21 on December 2, 2022. It is expected to become the primary strategic bomber for the U.S. Air Force and a key component of the country's nuclear triad. In March, the Pentagon announced that six such aircraft are currently in production.

The B-21 is set to gradually replace the B-1 and B-2 bombers currently in service with the U.S. Air Force. The Pentagon is now seeking approximately $145 billion in federal funding for research and development, which includes $46 billion for the Air Force, $27 billion for the Navy, and $15.7 billion for the Army. An allocation of $3 billion is planned for the deployment of the new B-21 strategic bomber.