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B-21 Raider
First two units of the new USAF stealth bomber are ready for testing, official says
B-21 Raider
Divulgação/Northrop Grumman
Gabriela Ramos
6/13/2021
Construction of the US Air Force's first two B-21 Raider stealth bombers has been completed and testing will begin shortly, according to the USAF commander.
The United States Air Force is seeking to increase the amount of aircraft of this type available, as it wants to be prepared for a hypothetical armed conflict, since its fleet has only 158 bombers, the youngest being 21 years old.
A publication in The War Zone reported that USAF Undersecretary Darlene Costello confirmed that the first two models of the B-21 had been completed for construction at the military aerospace facility in Palmdale, California.
The original plan was for the aircraft to be inaugurated in December this year, but due to the pandemic, the deadline was extended to 2022.
The fighters will undergo a lengthy testing phase, after which they will be deployed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
100 units of the B-21 Raider are expected to be purchased, for approximately $550 million each.
Later this year, it is expected that the new Chinese H-20 bombers will also be announced.
U.S. Air Force Graphic, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Gabriela Ramos
Gabriela is the latest addition to the editorial team of our website, having provided us with her solid background in editing, publishing and photography, and her interest and training in aviation history and historiography. His good taste and common sense and great cleverness and sagacity in the selection of themes and materials greatly enriched our vocabulary and narrative style. Gabriela brought unusual predicates and came to stay, helping to point the way of success of our portal.
   
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