B-21 Raider
World’s first sixth-generation aircraft.
The Future of Long-Range Strike
When it comes to delivering America’s resolve, the B-21 Raider will be standing by, silent and ready. We are providing America’s warfighters with an advanced aircraft offering a combination of range, payload, and survivability. The B-21 Raider will be capable of penetrating the toughest defenses to deliver precision strikes anywhere in the world. The B-21 is the future of deterrence.
"The Raider is designed to deliver both conventional and nuclear munitions, with formidable precision."
– Lloyd J. Austin III
United States Secretary of Defense
Unveiling of the B-21 Raider
The U.S. Air Force unveils the B-21 Raider at a ceremony in Palmdale, Calif., Dec. 2, 2022. (DoD photos by Chad J. McNeeley)
The Raider Legacy
On April 18, 1942, 80 men and 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers set off on what some said was an impossible mission, to change the course of World War II. The actions of these 80 volunteers, led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, were instrumental in shifting momentum in the Pacific theater and setting the stage for victory at the Battle of Midway.
These men, dubbed the Doolittle Raiders, launched 16 B-25s off the flight deck of the USS Hornet, despite the plane not being designed for carrier operations. The raid acted as a catalyst to many future innovations in U.S. air superiority from land or sea. That bold, innovative and courageous spirit of the Doolittle Raiders has been the inspiration behind the name of America’s next generation bomber, the B-21 Raider, in development now by the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman.
B-21 Career Opportunities
Northrop Grumman employees are Defining Possible every day through science, technology and engineering. We are 100,000 people – with careers in all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – working as one to defend and define the future.