Wednesday’s video (below) marks the service’s first reveal of the aircraft’s flight operations.

• READ MORE: B-21 Flight Testing, Production ‘Continues to Make Progress,’ Air Force Says

“A B-21 Raider conducts flight testing, which includes ground testing, taxiing, and flying operations in California,” the Air Force said in a statement accompanying the video. “Flight testing is a critical step in the test campaign managed by the Air Force Test Center and 412th Test Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force (CTF) to provide survivable, long-range, penetrating strike capabilities to deter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners.

“The B-21 will be the backbone of the service’s future bomber force, and will possess the range, access, and payload to penetrate the most highly contested threat environments and hold any target around the globe at risk,” the service said.

The stealth strike bomber was unveiled in December 2022 and officially moved into low-rate production earlier this year. In January, Northrop Grumman said six B-21 bombers are in various stages of final assembly and testing at its facility in Palmdale, California.

• READ MORE: B-21 Raider Takes First Flight

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 of the aircraft. Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB), South Dakota, has been designated as the first main operating facility for the B-21 and its formal training unit. The bomber is expected to arrive at Ellsworth by the mid-2020s.

Friday, the Air Force announced that the service’s newest bomber would also be based at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, and Dyess AFB, Texas.

“We continue to achieve B-21 production milestones,” General Thomas Bussiere, Air Force Global Strike Command commander, said in a statement. “Through digital engineering and open architecture design, we are getting an agile strategic deterrent that delivers a decisive response as required.” 

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“Continuing a lasting relationship with the Tournament of Roses Foundation, the B-2 will kick off the Rose Bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines with a flyover,” the Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing said.

The B-2 has flown over the Rose Parade and Bowl every year since 2005—until last year when the Air Force grounded its fleet for inspection after a bomber made a hard landing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The stealth bomber is operated by the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings at Whiteman AFB. 

During the December 2022 incident, a B-2 flying a routing operation had an inflight malfunction and was forced to make an emergency landing, catching fire in the process. The mishap prompted Whiteman AFB to institute a safety pause for a B-2 fleet inspection. A pair of B-1B Lancer bombers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, were then tasked with carrying over the flyover tradition for the 2023 Rose Parade or Rose Bowl Game.

“We are excited to return to the 2024 Rose Bowl,” said Colonel Keith Butler, 509th Bomb Wing commander at Whiteman AFB. “We have enjoyed a long relationship with the city of Pasadena and are honored to bring the B-2 back to demonstrate Team Whiteman’s commitment to the American people. Our mission is to execute nuclear operations and global strike…anytime, anywhere, and it would not be possible without the support of the people we serve. This is our way of saying, thank you.”

Earlier this month, Whiteman AFB marked its three decades as home to the B-2 Spirit by holding a ceremony that reenacted the bomber’s first arrival to the base.

Retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Keith Meadows marshals the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Whiteman AFB December 15, 2023. As a staff sergeant at the time, Meadows was the first crew chief to marshal in the B-2 30 years ago when it first arrived at Whiteman AFB. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

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The service launched a probe into the December 10 incident after a B-2 flying a routine operation was forced to make an emergency landing after an inflight malfunction, catching fire in the process.

• READ MORE: B-2 Spirit Catches Fire After Emergency Landing

“Whiteman AFB instituted a safety pause of B-2 flights in order to inspect the fleet, following the incident December 10,” MSgt. Beth Del Vecchio, spokesperson for USAF 509th Bomb Wing told FLYING Tuesday.

Late last week, the Air Force announced the B-2 would not be conducting a flyover for the 2023 Rose Parade or Rose Bowl Game as a result of the stand down.

• READ MORE: Northrop Grumman Pulls the Cover Off B-21 Raider

“There is no speculated end date for the safety pause. Every incident is unique, and we are currently evaluating the incident and how we can mitigate future risk. Normal operations will resume at the conclusion of the safety pause,” Del Vecchio said.

The Air Force introduced the B-2 in 1997 and has 20 bombers in active service and one test aircraft. Each aircraft is estimated to cost $1.2 billion.

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The stealth bombers belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing arrived at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley (YAMB) on Sunday, and are part of a Bomber Task Force (BTF) that routinely rotates strategic bombers in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This deployment of the B-2 to Australia demonstrates and enhances the readiness and lethality of our long-range penetrating strike force,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Kousgaard, 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander, in a statement. “We look forward to training and enhancing our interoperability with our RAAF teammates, as well as partners and allies across the Indo-Pacific as we meet [Pacific Air Force] objectives.”

The BTF rotation supports the Enhanced Cooperation Initiative under the Force Posture Agreement between the U.S. and Australia, and comes on the heels of a recent joint training exercise conducted between the two countries. 

In late March, a B-2 from Whiteman flew to Amberley for training aimed at boosting interoperability among allies, while also operating in the Indo-Pacific region. 

During the spring operation, the B-2 conducted aerial refueling from an Alaska Air National Guard Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker in Australian airspace before joining eight fighter aircraft. Those fighters included:

• Two RAAF Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs
• Two RAAF Boeing EA-18 Growlers
• Two RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets
• Two U.S. Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcons  

When the B-2 arrived at Amberley, it marked the first time the aircraft had landed at the Australian air base, according to the U.S. Air Force.

“This is the most consequential theater with the most challenging security issues…and advancing our interoperability with critical allies like Australia is critical to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said U.S. Navy Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, at the time of the March operation. “There are many aspects that are going on daily to continue to move the security relationship forward in a positive way to provide deterrence, prevent war, and maintain peace and stability within the region.”

• READ MORE: Chinese Fighter Accused of Intercepting, Releasing Debris Into Australian P-8’s Engines

The training exercises are part of a continued focus on establishing threat deterrence in the region, at a time when China continues to demonstrate aggressive behavior. 

In late May, for example, a Chinese fighter jeopardized the crew safety of an RAAF Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft when it intercepted the airplane and released debris into its engines while it conducted a routine surveillance flight over the South China Sea, according to Australian defense officials.

• READ MORE: Ex-U.S. Army Pilot Pleads Guilty To Selling Secrets to China

Washington’s relationship with China remains one of competition, and not contention, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who also described the Indo-Pacific region as the DOD’s “priority theater” during a press conference with reporters while in Thailand.

“We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO, or a region split into hostile blocs,” Austin said, while speaking at a defense conference held in Singapore in June, the Wall Street Journal reported. “We will defend our interests without flinching, but we’ll also work toward our vision for this region—one of expanding security, one of increased cooperation, and not one of growing division.”

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